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Rapid eye movements are significantly delayed in patients
with glaucoma.
The
findings may shed light on why glaucoma patients are at an increased risk of
falls and car accidents.
The researchers used head-mounted devices to measure
saccadic (rapid) eye movements of individuals with and without glaucoma. They
found that people with early, moderate or advanced glaucoma had significantly
delayed rapid eye movements compared with individuals without the condition.
Lead study author and ophthalmologist, Neeru Gupta, said:
“Now that we know that eye movement reaction times are delayed in people with
glaucoma there is an opportunity to understand the effects of glaucoma on daily
activities of living that most of us take for granted, such as walking up and
down stairs, driving, navigating and reading.
“Further studies are needed to determine pathological
processes implicated in delayed initiation of saccades, and to assess whether
alterations of saccades affects daily activities in glaucoma patients.”
