Mini-stroke link to loss of vision

July 7, 2009 Hong Kong researchers found that patients who have mini-strokes, called silent cerebral infarcts, could help explain the medical mystery of normal tension glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the progressive loss of vision caused by deterioration of the optic nerves. It is typically attributed to abnormally high pressure of the fluid in the eye.

Researchers studied nearly 300 people with normal tension glaucoma. They found a high incidence of mini-strokes among those whose loss of vision progressed more rapidly.

The study appears in the July issue of Ophthalmology.