Peripapillary chorioretinal atrophy is one among several morphologic variables to detect
glaucomatous abnormalities. Ranking optic disc variables for the detection of glaucomatous
optic nerve damage, peripapillary atrophy is a variable of second order. It is useful for the
differentiation of various types of chronic open-angle glaucomas. In contrast to
glaucomatous eyes, eyes with nonglaucomatous optic nerve atrophy, including eyes after
arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, do not show an enlarged peripapillary atrophy.

The pathogenesis of normal (intraocular) pressure glaucoma has remained unclear so far.
As hospital‐based studies showed an association of normal‐pressure glaucoma with low
systemic blood pressure, particularly at night, and with vasospastic symptoms, it has been
hypothesized that a vascular factor may play a primary role in the pathogenesis of normal‐
pressure glaucoma. That assumption may, however, be contradicted by the morphology of
the optic nerve head. Eyes with normal‐pressure glaucoma and glaucomatous eyes with …