US researchers found higher long-term variability and mean levels of blood pressure (BP) were associated with faster visual field (VF) progression in patients with glaucoma.  

Published in JAMA Ophthalmology, the retrospective cohort study of longitudinal data included 985 patients (1,674 eyes) with suspected or confirmed glaucoma who were selected from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study and the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study. Patients underwent blood pressure and VF testing from November 2000 to December 2022, said authors from the University of California, San Diego’s Hamilton Glaucoma Center. 

Over an average follow-up of eight years, higher mean blood pressure and higher standard deviation (SD) of blood pressure were associated with faster annual mean deviation changes for both mean arterial pressure and diastolic arterial pressure, said authors. Together, higher SD of blood pressure and higher mean intraocular pressure (IOP) were associated with faster annual mean deviation changes for both mean arterial pressure and diastolic arterial pressure. 

The findings suggest long-term variability of blood pressure may be a modifier of the association between IOP and VF progression in glaucoma, said researchers.