Optic disc changes in ocular hypertension.

Measurements were made of the percent areas of optic disc cupping and pallor in ocular hypertensive eyes and normal eyes. The ocular hypertensive eyes showed significant increases in pallor but not in cupping compared to normal eyes. There was also a significant positive correlation of cupping with age in normal eyes but not in ocular hypertensive eyes. Fluorescein angiography of the optic disc showed an increase in the number and area of filling defects in ocular hypertensive compared to normal eyes. There were significant positive correlations in ocular hypertensives between percent area of filling defects with both age and systolic blood pressure which were not present with normal eyes. The optic disc changes which occur in ocular hypertensive eyes are primarily characterized by an increase in pallor and an increase in both the number and area of fluorescein filling defects.