Platelet aggregation, disc haemorrhage and progressive loss of visual fields in glaucoma. A seven year follow-up study on glaucoma.

Platelet aggregation in vitro, deterioration of visual field defects (VFD) and the prevalence of disc haemorrhages (DH) were assessed in 49 patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and compared with the findings for 67 individuals with suspected glaucoma (GS) in a seven-year follow-up study (range 5.8 to 8.2 years). The percentage patients with spontaneous platelet aggregation (SPA) was higher for POAG patients with visual field deterioration (60%) than both POAG patients without progressive loss of visual fields (12.5%; P less than 0.005) and those with suspected glaucoma (22.4%; P less than 0.005). The occurrence of DH was higher among POAG patients with progressive loss of visual field (28%) compared to the GS group (8.4%; P less than 0.025) and the group of patients consisting of POAG patients without deterioration of VFD and GS (9.9%; P less than 0.05). DH also occurred more often in patients with low tension glaucoma (41.6%) than in the remaining POAG patients (13.5%; P less than 0.05). No relation between the patients with SPA and the patients with DH was observed.