The aim of this study was to determine whether primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is associated with changes in fixation stability parameters assessed by microperimetry (MP) and whether the severity of glaucoma is related to a deterioration in these indicators. This study analyzed fixation stability using MP macular analyzer integrity assessment (MAIA) in patients with mild and moderate/severe POAG and healthy controls. The resulting fixation indices were correlated with parameters used to assess retinal function with MP and standard automated perimetry (SAP) and retinal structure with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). We enrolled 54 eyes in the POAG groups (32 eyes with mild POAG and 22 eyes with moderate/severe POAG) and 24 eyes in the healthy group. It was shown that fixation stability in POAG eyes deteriorated with increasing disease severity, and significant differences in bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA) including 95% of fixation points were observed among groups (p = 0.042). Quantitative analysis of structural and functional retinal parameters also showed significant deterioration with the progression of glaucoma (p < 0.001). Correlations among fixation parameters and abnormalities in the retinal structure and function were confirmed. We concluded that POAG is associated with disturbances in the fixation pattern, which worsen as the disease progresses and can be effectively assessed by performing a MP test.

To evaluate the correlation between retinal sensitivity in microperimetry (MP) with vessel density (VD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). We enrolled 30 participants (52 eyes) with POAG and 15 participants (23 eyes) in the healthy control group. All participants were examined for retinal structure using OCTA to assess VD and Spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) to assess ganglion cell complex (GCC) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness. Retinal sensitivity was tested with MP and standard automatic perimetry (SAP). The VD in moderate/severe POAG was lower than that in mild POAG and healthy control in the macular superficial vascular plexus (SVP) (38.7±6.3% vs. 42.9±5.2%, 49.7±2.6% respectively, P<0.001) and peripapillary radial peripapillary capillaries (pRPC) (36.4±5.7% vs. 43.6±6.6%, 49.1±2.4% respectively, P0.05). The relationship between microvascular damage in the macular SVP whole and the decrease of MP average sensitivity threshold is stronger than the pRNFL thickness measurements and SAP parameters. OCTA and MP techniques are valuable methods that allow clinically monitor structural and functional changes in glaucomatous eyes.

Cognitive Functioning, Eyesight and Eye Movement Changes in the Course of Normal Aging and the Alzheimer’s Dementia Process – a Review of Research Polish society is aging. Currently, people over 65 constitute 16.5% of the population. Along with changes in the population structure, the number of patients with dementia disorders increases. Every year, worldwide, there are nearly 4.6 million new patients diagnosed with dementia, including the Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of this article is to review research studies that analyze visual-spatial deficits, eyesight and eye movement changes in normally aging people and in patients with AD. With age, various cognitive deficits appear, including visualspatial deficits of perception of complex stimuli, copying figures and visual construction, coordination and visual-spatial processing. So far, a number of studies have been conducted which show that people with AD have a thinner retinal nerve fiber layer. Macular volume and thickness reduction is also observed, which correlates with the severity of cognitive impairment. Research also points to the association of AD with eye movement disorders. Patients in this group make a greater number of errors in anti-saccade tasks as compared to healthy people. Typical for AD are delayed saccades and slow vertical saccade movement, lower accuracy and longer latency time, as well as lower saccadic inhibition as compared to normally ageing people. Identification of eye movement disorders can not only provide information on the severity of the disease but also make it possible to track its progression, and thus, probably, evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. Further studies will verify the diagnostic value of the retinal changes as an AD marker and the eye movement disorders in determining the severity of the disease, monitoring its course and assessing the effectiveness of the treatment.