Ocular Hemodynamics in Retinitis Pigmentosa

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Abstract
Transit time in retinal circulation and relative opening pressures in retinal and choroidal vessels were studied in retinitis pigmentosa patients by fluorescein angiography at normal and acutely elevated intraocular pressure levels. In patients with ophthalmoscopically normal retinal arterioles, ocular hemodynamics were undisturbed despite bone spicule pigmentation in some eyes. In most with clear-cut retinal arteriolar attenuation and characteristic retinal pigmentation, ocular hemodynamics were altered, though in a nonuniform manner. The most frequent abnormality was reversal of the relative opening pressures in choroid and retina, indicating a decrease in perfusion pressure to the retinal circulation. In occasional patients, even with severe retinal degeneration, these findings were not present. The results imply that abnormalities of ocular hemodynamics in retinitis pigmentosa are of a secondary nature and do not play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

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