Alexandre Coimbra1, Miller Ogidigben2, Robert Peiffer2, Lynn O'Neil-Davis2, Marie Holahan1, Jacquelynn Cook1, Donald Williams1
1Imaging, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA, USA; 2Ophthalmic Research, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA, USA
Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve (ON) whose pathophysiology is poorly understood and clinical management is currently limited to intraocular pressure reduction strategy. Current methods for examining ON degeneration in glaucoma are ex-vivo preclinical studies and in-vivo imaging of nerve fiber layer in the periphery of the ON head. The present study accesses the ability of MRI to quantify degeneration of the ON in the retroorbital space of laser-induced glaucoma monkeys and shows that MRI renders quantitative indices that correlate with atrophy and intra-ocular pressure (IOP) and may be used to study ON degeneration induced by increased IOP.