Research Projects

Normal tension glaucoma (NTG) is a potentially blinding disease with optic nerve head (ONH) cupping, retinal nerve fibre layer thinning, localized defects, functional visual field loss, and normal intraocular pressure (IOP). High myopia (HM) is an equally debilitating blinding condition that often co-exists with NTG and forms an important confound. The study aims to test the hypothesis that structural and functional differences in the eyeball and optic nerve, as delineated by high resolution surface coil magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), correlate with optic nerve head (ONH) changes in subjects with NTG and high myopia in a south Asian cohort. The study will involve a comparative cross-sectional correlation of high resolution surface coil MR images of the optic nerve and ocular adnexa, ONH fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) between four groups of 10 subjects (20 orbits) each comprising NTG, with and without HM, HM without NTG, and a control group of non-NTG and non-HM subjects. The experimental design will be a comparative, cross-sectional, observational, hospital-based study lasting 3 years + extension, if required. The study aims to understand IOP independent factors related to the genesis of structural and functional changes occurring in the optic nerve in NTG and HM, both being blinding entities and a major public health problem.