A Seoul National University study has found that long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuation is significantly related to faster visual field progression in myopic normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) eyes, compared with non-myopic NTG eyes. 

Published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, the study reviewed the medical records of 65 myopic NTG (axial length (AL) > 24.0mm) and 64 non-myopic NTG eyes (AL < 24.0mm), which had been treated with topical medications for more than five years. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to analyse the relationships of the slope of mean deviation (MD) or visual field index (VFI) with clinical factors, including myopia. 

The average follow-up period was 8.3 years. Twenty-two (34.4%) non-myopic eyes and 27 myopic eyes (41.5%) showed NTG progression (p=0.511). The interaction of myopia with IOP fluctuation was a significant factor regarding both MD and VFI slope (p=0.002, 0.024, respectively).