OCT 03, 2013
Using an automated perimeter on only the 16 central points of the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) 10-2 test shortened testing time of macular function in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients and can likely improve the accuracy of exams in patients with decreased macular function.
Subjects were 29 Japanese patients with OAG (53 eyes) who underwent visual field examination (AP-7000 automatic perimeter, Kowa, Japan) to examine macular function.
The authors measured the mean total deviation of 16 points in the central visual field located in a 2-degree-interval 4 x 4 array with various stimulus sizes (Goldmann sizes III, II, and I). The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, ganglion cell complex and ganglion cell layer plus inner plexiform layer (GCL + IPL) were measured with the 3D OCT-2000 System (Topcon, Japan).
The average examination time was 93.5 ± 23.5 seconds. Mean total deviation correlated with both the average HFA 10-2 total deviation and OCT-measured retinal macular layer thickness. The thicknesses of the macular RNFL, ganglion cell complex, and GCL + IPL were significantly correlated with macular function. A small stimulus size also helped improve the sensitivity of the evaluation of macular function.
These data suggest that this new strategy of evaluating macular function with the AP-7000 automated perimeter can be used to quickly and accurately evaluate glaucoma patients with macular lesions.