Purpose: To determine the microstructure of the lamina cribrosa (LC) associated with microvasculature dropout (MvD) of the deep optic nerve head (ONH) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and to identify factors related to the presence of MvD.
Methods: POAG eyes that exhibited MvD in the LC (MvD-LC) or MvD in the peripapillary choroid (MvD-PC) underwent optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to evaluate the structure and microvasculature of the deep ONH, respectively. The presence of MvD-LC or MvD-PC was determined using en face OCTA images of the deep ONH. The sectoral LC thickness (LCT) and LC curvature index (LCCI) (at MvD-LC site, when applicable), the mean LCT and LCCI of the global ONH, and other clinical characteristics were measured and compared between eyes with and without MvD-LC.
Results: The study included 93 eyes with and 51 without MvD-LC. The presence of MvD-LC was associated with lower sectoral LCT (odds ratio [OR] = 0.96, P < 0.001) and mean LCT (OR = 0.97, P = 0.032), larger visual field pattern standard deviation (PSD; OR = 1.20, P = 0.038), and higher pretreatment intraocular pressure (IOP; OR = 1.22, P = 0.012). Fifteen percent of the eyes with MvD-LC (14/93) did not present MvD-PC. Those eyes had younger age (P = 0.043), thicker juxtapapillary choroid (P = 0.018), larger sectoral LCCI (P = 0.040), thicker retinal nerve fiber layer (P = 0.024), smaller PSD (P = 0.008), and higher pretreatment IOP (P = 0.006) than those with both MvD-LC and MvD-PC.
Conclusions: MvD-LC was associated with a localized morphologic alteration of the LC, and eyes with MvD-LC tended to have a higher pretreatment IOP. The clinical implications of MvD-LC should differ from those of MvD-PC in eyes with POAG.