ASSESSMENT OF DIURNAL TENSIONAL CURVE IN EARLY GLAUCOMA DAMAGE

We know very little about the relationship between the diurnal intraoc ular pressure variations and the progression of visual field loss. A p rospective study of 149 eyes of 149 patients suffering from intraocula r hypertension has been carried out throught a minimum period of five years. At least 4 years before the appearance of held defects, we dete cted significant oscillations of IOP in the 64% of the cases prone to develop visual field loss. Likewise, we have found a statistically sig nificant relationship between the presence of defects in the RNFL (ret inal nerve fiber layer) and the existence of significant oscillations of IOP.