Clinical Implication of Disc Hemorrhages by Dr. Austin R. Lifferth

Online Optom Learning Series (OOLS) Sessions

Dr. Austin R. Lifferth, a practicing optometrist and a glaucoma expert, begins by explaining that sometimes clinically, it is more important to look for the minor signs when assessing for glaucoma. He shows us how the glaucoma expert and a trainee are different when evaluating the optic disc.

We learn about the scientific evidence that suggests that practitioners most commonly miss disc hemorrhages.

Dr. Lifferth covers the following aspects of the disc hemorrhages in detail

  1. Appearance 
  2. Differential for disc hemorrhages 
  3. Stages 
  4. Duration 
  5. Detection 
    1. How to improve detection rate for disc hemorrhages 
  6. Normal vs Ocular Hypertension 
  7. Ocular Hypertension and Implications 
  8. Low tension glaucoma vs High tension glaucoma 
  9. Effect of Treatment
    1. Medication 
    2. Trabeculectomy 
  10. Associated pressurs on the Optic Nerve 
    1. Vascular Theory 
    2. Neuro-vascular Theory
    3. Mechanical Theory 
  11. Progression 
  12. Clinical significance 

Dr. Lifferth summarized the talk by stressing the importance of optic disc assessment and looking for disc hemorrhages. The discussion ends with a question and answers session with the live audience.

References

Papers

O’Neill EC, Kong YX, Connell PP, Ong DN, Haymes SA, Coote MA, Crowston JG. Gaze behavior among experts and trainees during optic disc examination: does how we look affect what we see? Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011 Jun 7;52(7):3976-83.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21467174/

Jonas JB, Budde WM, Panda-Jonas S. Ophthalmoscopic evaluation of the optic nerve head. Surv Ophthalmol. 1999 Jan-Feb;43(4):293-320.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10025513/

Susanna R Jr, Vessani RM. New findings in the evaluation of the optic disc in glaucoma diagnosis. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2007 Mar;18(2):122-8.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17301613/

Fingeret M, Medeiros FA, Susanna R Jr, Weinreb RN. Five rules to evaluate the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer for glaucoma. Optometry. 2005 Nov;76(11):661-8.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16298320/

Drance SM, Fairclough M, Butler DM, Kottler MS. The importance of disc hemorrhage in the prognosis of chronic open angle glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 1977 Feb;95(2):226-8.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/836207/

Suh MH, Park KH. Pathogenesis and clinical implications of optic disk hemorrhage in glaucoma. Surv Ophthalmol. 2014 Jan-Feb;59(1):19-29.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24156914/

Sonnsjö B, Dokmo Y, Krakau T. Disc haemorrhages, precursors of open angle glaucoma. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2002 Jan;21(1):35-56.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11906810/

Kim HS, Park KH, Jeoung JW, Park J. Comparison of myopic and nonmyopic disc hemorrhage in primary open-angle glaucoma. Jpn J Ophthalmol. 2013 Mar;57(2):166-71.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23184258/

Uhler TA, Piltz-Seymour J. Optic disc hemorrhages in glaucoma and ocular hypertension: implications and recommendations. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2008 Mar;19(2):89-94.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18301280/

Kim YK, Park KH. Lamina cribrosa defects in eyes with glaucomatous disc haemorrhage. Acta Ophthalmol. 2016 Sep;94(6):e468-73.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26522055/

Ozturker ZK, Munro K, Gupta N. Optic disc hemorrhages in glaucoma and common clinical features. Can J Ophthalmol. 2017 Dec;52(6):583-591.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29217027/

Healey PR, Mitchell P, Smith W, Wang JJ. Optic disc hemorrhages in a population with and without signs of glaucoma. Ophthalmology. 1998 Feb;105(2):216-23.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9479278/

Yoo YC, Kim JM, Park HS, Yoo C, Shim SH, Won YS, Park KH, Chang RT. Specific Location of Disc Hemorrhage is Linked to Nerve Fiber Layer Defects. Optom Vis Sci. 2017 Jun;94(6):647-653.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28452808/

De Moraes CG, Prata TS, Liebmann CA, Tello C, Ritch R, Liebmann JM. Spatially consistent, localized visual field loss before and after disc hemorrhage. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Oct;50(10):4727-33.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19458330/

Siegner SW, Netland PA. Optic disc hemorrhages and progression of glaucoma. Ophthalmology. 1996 Jul;103(7):1014-24.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8684789/

Budenz DL, Anderson DR, Feuer WJ, Beiser JA, Schiffman J, Parrish RK 2nd, Piltz-Seymour JR, Gordon MO, Kass MA; Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study Group. Detection and prognostic significance of optic disc hemorrhages during the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study. Ophthalmology. 2006 Dec;113(12):2137-43.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16996592/

Bengtsson B, Leske MC, Yang Z, Heijl A; EMGT Group. Disc hemorrhages and treatment in the early manifest glaucoma trial. Ophthalmology. 2008 Nov;115(11):2044-8.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18692244/

Suh MH, Park KH. Period prevalence and incidence of optic disc haemorrhage in normal tension glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2011 Aug;39(6):513-9.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21176041/

De Moraes CG, Demirel S, Gardiner SK, Liebmann JM, Cioffi GA, Ritch R, Gordon MO, Kass MA. Rate of visual field progression in eyes with optic disc hemorrhages in the ocular hypertension treatment study. Arch Ophthalmol. 2012 Dec;130(12):1541-6.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23229692/

Furlanetto RL, De Moraes CG, Teng CC, Liebmann JM, Greenfield DS, Gardiner SK, Ritch R, Krupin T; Low-Pressure Glaucoma Treatment Study Group. Risk factors for optic disc hemorrhage in the low-pressure glaucoma treatment study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2014 May;157(5):945-52.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24513094/

Miyake T, Sawada A, Yamamoto T, Miyake K, Sugiyama K, Kitazawa Y. Incidence of disc hemorrhages in open-angle glaucoma before and after trabeculectomy. J Glaucoma. 2006 Apr;15(2):164-71.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16633231/

Soares AS, Artes PH, Andreou P, Leblanc RP, Chauhan BC, Nicolela MT. Factors associated with optic disc hemorrhages in glaucoma. Ophthalmology. 2004 Sep;111(9):1653-7.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15350318/

Kurvinen L, Harju M, Saari J, Vesti E. Altered temporal peripapillary retinal flow in patients with disc hemorrhages. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2010 Dec;248(12):1771-5.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20635187/

Shim SH, Kim JM, Woo HY, Shin KU, Koh JW, Park KH. Association Between Platelet Function and Disc Hemorrhage in Patients With Normal-Tension Glaucoma: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2015 Dec;160(6):1191-1199.e1.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26384167/

Patel HY, Buys YM, Trope GE. Nailfold capillaroscopy assessment in patients with glaucoma with a current optic disc hemorrhage. Can J Ophthalmol. 2015 Apr;50(2):155-8.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25863857/

Lee EJ, Han JC, Kee C. A novel hypothesis for the pathogenesis of glaucomatous disc hemorrhage. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2017 Sep;60:20-43.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28864288/

Burgoyne CF, Downs JC, Bellezza AJ, Suh JK, Hart RT. The optic nerve head as a biomechanical structure: a new paradigm for understanding the role of IOP-related stress and strain in the pathophysiology of glaucomatous optic nerve head damage. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2005 Jan;24(1):39-73.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15555526/

Park HY, Jeon SH, Park CK. Enhanced depth imaging detects lamina cribrosa thickness differences in normal tension glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma. Ophthalmology. 2012 Jan;119(1):10-20.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22015382/

Quigley HA, Addicks EM, Green WR, Maumenee AE. Optic nerve damage in human glaucoma. II. The site of injury and susceptibility to damage. Arch Ophthalmol. 1981 Apr;99(4):635-49.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6164357/

Medeiros FA, Alencar LM, Sample PA, Zangwill LM, Susanna R Jr, Weinreb RN. The relationship between intraocular pressure reduction and rates of progressive visual field loss in eyes with optic disc hemorrhage. Ophthalmology. 2010 Nov;117(11):2061-6.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20541265/

Prata TS, De Moraes CG, Teng CC, Tello C, Ritch R, Liebmann JM. Factors affecting rates of visual field progression in glaucoma patients with optic disc hemorrhage. Ophthalmology. 2010 Jan;117(1):24-9.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19896197/

Resources

World Glaucoma Association – 10th Consensus Meeting: Diagnosis of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

https://wga.one/wga/consensus-10/