Low diastolic blood pressure is associated with the progression of normal-tension glaucoma

Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between blood pressure (BP) and visual field defect progression in normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods: The subjects were 35 consecutive patients with NTG who were admitted to Keio University Hospital for 24-hour intraocular pressure evaluation; all subjects underwent 6 or more visual field tests in either eye and were followed up for more than 5 years. Systolic and diastolic BPs were measured at 9.00 h. Subjects with negative regression lines and p values of less than 0.05 were classified as progressive; all others were defined as stable. Systolic BP, diastolic BP, and ocular perfusion pressure were compared between the 2 groups. Results: Twelve subjects showed progression in glaucomatous visual field defects (age 55.1 ± 15.1 years). Twenty-three subjects showed no progression (age 57.2 ± 10.9 years). Diastolic BP (stable group: 77.0 ± 12.1 mm Hg; progressive group: 67.7 ± 9.7 mm Hg; p = 0.03) was significantly lower in the progressive group than in the stable group. Multivariable analysis revealed that low diastolic BP is a significant risk factor for progression (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.82-0.99). Conclusions: Low diastolic BP was associated with glaucomatous visual field progression in subjects with NTG.