Abstract
Purpose: :
The Visual Field Index (VFI) has been introduced recently as being relatively independent of the effect of cataract and other media opacities and better reflecting localized damage from glaucoma.1 The purpose of this study is to evaluate the strength of the association between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured with optical coherence tomography (StratusOCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA) and optic disc topography measured with confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT II; Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph, Heidelberg Engineering, Dossenheim, Germany) with visual field global indices, mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD) and visual field index (VFI).
Methods: :
463 eyes of 463 patients with glaucoma or suspected glaucoma and 328 healthy eyes of 328 subjects from enrollees in the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study (DIGS) and African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES) were tested on HRT II, StratusOCT, and standard automated perimetry (SAP) with the Swedish Interactive Thresholding Algorithm (SITA) within 6 months of each other.
Results: :
The associations (R2) between global RNFL/optic disc measurements with visual field indices were all statistically significant (P<0.0001) and were 0.10, 0.08 and 0.09 (MD, PSD and VFI, respectively) using HRT derived mean RNFL thickness, 0.14, 0.11 and 0.13 using HRT derived rim area, and 0.28, 0.26 and 0.26 using OCT derived mean RNFL thickness.
Conclusions: :
These results suggest that the structure-function relationships at one point in time using VFI comparable to those of MD and PSD. The strength of association of VFI, MD and PSD with structural measurements using StratusOCT and HRTII is weak.
Keywords: visual fields • imaging/image analysis: clinical • nerve fiber layer