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Purpose: Aim of this retrospective, observational study is to describe features of a population sample, affected by primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in order to evaluate damage progression on the basis of the emerged individual risk factors., Methods: We included 190 caucasian patients (377 eyes), evaluating relationship between individual risk factors (explicative variables) and MD (Mean Deviation) of standard automated perimetry. We also considered the dependent variable NFI (Neural Fiber Index) of GDx scanning laser polarimetry. Progression has been evaluated through a statistic General Linear Model on four follow up steps (mean follow up 79 months)., Results: Factors reaching statistical significance, determining a worsening of the MD variable, are: age (P<0.0001), intraocular pressure (IOP) at follow up (P < 0.0001), female gender (P<0.0001), hypertension (P< 0.0001) and familiarity (P = 0.0006). Factors reaching statistical significance, determining a worsening of the NFI variable, are only IOP at follow up (P = 0.0159) and depression (P = 0.0104)., Conclusion: Results of this study confirm and enforce data coming from most recent studies: IOP remains the main risk factor for glaucoma assess and progression; age and familiarity are great risk factors as underlined in the last decades; female sex can be an important risk factors as emerged only in the last years; arterial hypertension should always be evaluated in timing of our clinic follow up.

Purpose: To evaluate the morphology of optic discs in eyes suffering from retinal vein occlusion (RVO) alone or in combination with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG)., Methods: Prospective, observational study. 48 consecutive patients were enrolled, 30 with unilateral RVO diagnosis, 18 with unilateral retinal vein occlusion (RVO) associated with POAG. We divided RVOs on the basis of occlusion site: arterio-venous crossing (AV-RVO), optic cup (OC-RVO), optic nerve (ON-RVO) with head nerve swelling (ONHS-RVO) or without it (NONHS-RVO). A control group of 25 patients who were sex and age matched was selected., Results: Comparing the fellow eyes of the patients with RVO and control healthy eyes, no differences emerged in cup/disc ratio but they came out for the HRT values in Rim Area, cup shape measure and height variation contour (p<0.05). The most frequent occlusion site was at the level of an arteriovenous crossing in patients not suffering from POAG (36.7%) and at the level of the optic cup in patients with RVO and POAG (50%). In the RVO group without POAG, the OC-RVO subgroup has shown an higher cup area (0.366±0.094) and cup/disc area ratio (0.184±0.063), a lower rim volume (0.374±0.021) and a different cup shape measure (-0.221±0.066) (p<0.05) compared with the AV and NONHS sites. Compared with NONHS group differences emerged also for the fibres parameters and in the height variation contour (0.346±0.081). Also in the RVO group with POAG significant differences (p<0.05) have been surveyed between OC-RVO and other occlusion sites in cup area (0.119±0.029), cup/disc area ratio (0.532±0.09), rim volume (0.374±0.07), cup/shape measure (-0.079±0.013)., Conclusions: Classification of the analyzed parameters on the basis of the occlusion site provides a basis for which clinical decisions and research on causal factors in future studies can be based on.