Disc haemorrhages, precursors of open angle glaucoma

In a long-term study of 1270 patients with at least one of the findings, open-angle glaucoma, disc haemorrhages or retinal vein occlusions, disc haemorrhages were witnessed in approximately 20% of the cases with open-angle glaucoma, and were a precursor of glaucomatous disc changes and associated visual field defects. Disc haemorrhages also preceded a rising intraocular pressure (IOP) in the destructive process among open-angle glaucoma cases. Similar glaucomatous development appears among cases independent of IOP or detection of exfoliation syndrome. Retinal vein occlusions and disc haemorrhages behave similarly with respect to glaucoma. The large number of transgressions is an argument against dividing glaucoma into different types. These findings support a vascular genesis to open-angle glaucoma, presented in earlier epidemiological studies. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.