Relationship between intraocular, blood and cerebrospinal fluid pressures: a theoretical approach

Intraocular pressure (IOP), arterial blood pressure (PA), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure have been identified as major players in several ocular pathologies, including glaucoma, central vein occlusion, and papilledema, to name a few. IOP, PA, and CSF pressures are not independent from each other. For example, aqueous humor and CSF flows, whose mechanics contribute to establish IOP and CSF pressure levels, originate from blood flow, which is driven by PA. As a consequence, it is difficult to experimentally isolate IOP, PA, and CSF pressure and to disentangle their effect in pathological conditions. Here we utilize a theoretical approach to address this issue.