A longitudinal cohort study has found that the location of optic disc hemorrhages (DH) may predict the progression of glaucoma. Researchers at Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea, followed 146 glaucoma patients for over a decade, revealing that 61% experienced disease progression. The study identified cup-type DH — hemorrhages located in the optic disc’s cup — as a strong predictor of faster vision loss. Patients with cup-type DH had a higher risk of glaucoma progression compared to those with peripapillary-type DH, which occurs on the disc rim.

The findings suggest that tracking the location of DH could help clinicians better predict and manage glaucoma progression, improving outcomes for patients. Cup-type DH was associated with a more rapid loss of visual field (mean deviation change: -0.56 dB/year) and a higher probability of progression, emphasizing the importance of targeted monitoring in these cases.