Effects of a Fall in the Intraocular Pressure Level on the Peripapillary Fluorescein Angiogram in Chronic Open‐angle Glaucoma

The effects of a long‐term fall in intraocular pressure on the fluorescein angiographic findings of the disc and the peripapillary area were studied in 50 eyes with chronic open‐angle glaucoma by comparing angiograms taken before and 1 to 6 months after a glaucoma operation. After a remarkable fall (20 mmHg or more) in the intraocular pressure level, obvious narrowing was seen in the main retinal vessels. Filling defects of the peripapillary choroid or disc fluorescence were not clearly influenced by a decreased intraocular pressure level, thus indicating the presence of permanent anatomic changes in the peripapillary choroidal vasculature. Fluorescein angiography with the technique used cannot, therefore, be regarded as a suitable method for evaluating the safe pressure level in individual eyes.