Materials and Methods: The medical records of 80 eyes of 40 normal-tension glaucoma patients (25 women, 15 men) with typical glaucomatous optic disc and/or visual field changes and no recorded intraocular pressure >21 mmHg, who were treated with topical medications, were reviewed. Normal-tension glaucoma progression was defined by either structural (optic disc or retinal nerve fibre layer) or functional (visual field) deterioration.

Results: The average follow-up period was 5.1±4.06 years, and 15 of 40 patients (37.5%) showed the normal-tension glaucoma progression. There were 25 stable patients (62.5%). Mean intraocular pressure measured higher in the progressed patients (14.53±3.27 mmHg) than stable patients (14.18±2.94 mmHg), but it was not statistically different between the groups (p=0.638). The disc size was bigger in progressed patients (2.16±0.25 μm) than stable patients (1.99±0.39 μm), (p=0.05). The age, central corneal thickness, visual field examination findings and the mean retinal nerve fiber layer at the initial examination were similar between progressed and stable patients (p>0.05). The diastolic fluctuations in progressed patients was higher than stable group (p=0.041) and progressed patients' diastolic blood pressure measures at night were lower than stable patients (p=0.032).

Conclusion: Despite relatively similar intraocular pressure and visual field examination findings between progressed and stable patients, cardiovascular systemic examination should be kept in mind in the cases with normal-tension glaucoma when especially progression of the disease occur in their follow ups. Keywords : Normal-tension glaucoma, progression, risk factor, cardiovascular findings