Measuring retinal blood flow to spot glaucoma early
Direct Measures of Retinal Blood Flow and Autoregulation as Robust Biomarkers for Early Glaucoma
This project uses advanced eye imaging to measure tiny blood flow in the retina to help people with early or suspected glaucoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11116933 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will use two advanced imaging methods—erythrocyte-mediated angiography flowmetry (EMAf) and multimodal adaptive optics (mAO)—to directly measure blood flow down to the capillary level in your eye. These tests give precise, absolute blood-flow numbers instead of indirect estimates and are done in the clinic on living human eyes. The team will compare how well blood flow stays steady (autoregulation) in people with early glaucoma versus those without and follow changes over time to see if abnormal responses predict nerve damage. They will also compare capillary density with retinal ganglion cell measurements to link blood-flow changes to glaucoma damage.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with early or suspected primary open-angle glaucoma or people at higher risk who can undergo detailed retinal imaging.
Not a fit: People with no glaucoma risk or those who cannot tolerate or complete the specialized imaging (for example due to poor pupil dilation or inability to remain still) are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors detect glaucoma earlier and identify patients at higher risk of future vision loss.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research supports a vascular role in glaucoma, but using direct capillary-level measures like EMAf and adaptive-optics imaging is relatively new and not yet proven to predict progression.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- University of Maryland Baltimore — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Saeedi, Osamah Jawaid — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Saeedi, Osamah Jawaid
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.