The effect of intraocular and intracranial pressure on retinal structure and function in rats

An increasing number of studies indicate that the optic nerve head of the eye is sensitive not only to changes in intraocular pressure (IOP), but also to intracranial pressure (ICP). This study examines changes to optic nerve and retinal structure in a rat model in response to a range of IOP and ICP levels using optical coherence tomography. Furthermore, we examine the functional sequelae of these structural changes by quantifying the effect of pressure changes on the electroretinogram. IOP elevation (10–90 mmHg) induces progressive deformation of the optic nerve head and retinal surface (P < 0.05), compression of the retina (P < 0.05) and bipolar cell (b-wave), and retinal ganglion cell (scotopic threshold response) dysfunction (P < 0.05). Simultaneously altering ICP (−5 to 30 mmHg) modifies these IOP-induced responses, with lower ICP (−5 mmHg) exacerbating and higher ICP (15–30 mmHg) ameliorating structural and functional deficits. Thus, the balance between IOP and ICP (optic nerve pressure gradient, ONPG = IOP − ICP) plays an important role in optic nerve integrity. Structural and functional parameters exhibit a two-phase relationship to ONPG, with structural changes being more sensitive to ONPG modification (threshold = −0.6 to 11.3 mmHg) compared with functional changes (threshold = 49.7–54.6 mmHg). These findings have implications for diseases including glaucoma, intracranial hypertension, and long-term exposure to microgravity.