An worldwide crew of researchers led by Lithuanian scientists present extra proof that intracranial strain performs an necessary position in normal-tension glaucoma, which accounts for as much as 50 per cent of all glaucoma circumstances. A current medical examine demonstrates that low intracranial strain correlates with impaired affected person visibility, particularly within the nasal zone.
Glaucoma, one of many main causes of blindness for folks over the age of 60, is attributable to optic nerve injury. Often, elevated strain inside the attention (referred to as intraocular strain or IOP) is detected in glaucoma sufferers. However, not all folks with ocular hypertension develop glaucoma. Moreover, glaucoma can develop in circumstances of regular IOP. A so-called regular stress glaucoma (NTG) prevalence amongst sufferers within the world inhabitants ranges from 30 to 90 per cent based on totally different research.
Contemporary drugs has strategies to deal with elevated eye strain and to gradual and even cease the injury to the optic nerve. However, these strategies don’t work within the case of regular stress glaucoma. There is a rising consciousness among the many scientific neighborhood, that glaucoma is a situation attributable to two pressures – inside the attention and the cranium.”
Arminas Ragauskas, Professor, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania
Ragauskas, the Head of the Health Telematics Science Institute at KTU, is the inventor of the non-invasive intracranial strain measurement know-how, used within the examine described under.
He goes on to elucidate that anatomically, the optic nerve is related to the mind, and is surrounded by the cerebrospinal fluid. Both intracranial strain (ICT), which is strain inside our cranium, measured within the cerebrospinal fluid, and intraocular strain (IOP) can have an effect on the situation of the optic nerve. Recently, researchers have centered on the steadiness between the 2 pressures, i.e. translaminar strain distinction (TPD) and its connection to glaucoma growth.
A medical examine revealed doable hyperlinks between mind strain and glaucoma
80 early-stage regular stress glaucoma (NTG) sufferers had been enrolled in a current examine carried out by researchers from Lithuanian, Israeli and American universities. The topics had been chosen from the 300 NTG sufferers referred to the Eye Clinic on the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences between January and October 2018.
Several measurements together with intraocular (IOP), intracranial pressures (ICP) and visible subject perimetry had been recorded in the course of the examine. The translaminar strain distinction (TPD) was calculated based on the system TPD = IOP – ICP. The visible subject was divided into 5 zones: nasal, temporal, peripheral, central and paracentral.
The examine revealed a number of statistically important correlations between intracranial strain, TPD and visible subject modifications. The larger the TPD, the extra important damages to the affected person’s visible subject had been registered. The most vital visible subject losses occurred within the nasal zone.
“Visual subject loss means just one factor – an individual is changing into blind. That’s why it’s so necessary to grasp the causes of this situation and to reverse it. We are all conscious of the dire end result,” says Prof Ragauskas.
Researchers conclude that larger TPD may very well be estimated as a threat issue for the unfavorable growth of regular stress glaucoma. As translaminar strain distinction is calculated by subtracting ICP from IOP, the decrease the intracranial strain measure, the upper the TPD. Thus, in normal-tension glaucoma, lowered intracranial strain is a doable threat issue.
Technology invented in Lithuania used within the examine
“The concept that mind strain is said to the visible subject just isn’t new. Several years in the past, we carried out a sequence of experiments finding out the hyperlinks between visible subject and intracranial strain, utilizing the non-invasive know-how developed right here, at KTU. In the conferences that adopted, I noticed how our new concept was met with pleasure by the worldwide neighborhood of ophthalmologists,” says Prof Ragauskas.
Intracranial strain’s correlation with glaucoma opens new avenues for medical professionals to analysis the rationale and doable remedy of this pathology. Also, in recent times, proof supporting this speculation poured in from science teams working world wide. Prof Ragauskas says that his analysis has, instantly and not directly, contributed to the rising pool of knowledge on the subject.
In the above-described examine, the intracranial strain measurement was obtained by way of a two-depth Transcranial Doppler (Vittamed UAB, Lithuania) developed by Prof Ragauskas’ crew on the Kaunas University of Technology labs. Unlike the same old intracranial strain measuring process, which entails the drilling of a small-sized gap into the affected person’s cranium, Prof Ragauskas’ invention permits measuring mind strain non-invasively via the attention utilizing ultrasound. Various industrial functions of the invention had been patented within the US and Europe.
“We aren’t competing with invasive strategies, however heading in the direction of a completely new course. At the second, I see that ophthalmology is the sector the place our know-how is required most, and we’re utilizing it for analysis functions. However, we’re continually creating our invention and have lately patented a few new functions, which could be utilized in different contexts the place measuring intracranial strain is essential. For instance, in long-term house missions,” says KTU professor Ragauskas.