Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To investigate the correlation between the Ocular Pulse Amplitude (OPA) measured with the Pascal Dynamic Contour Tonometer (DCT) and visual field defects in patients with glaucoma, ocular hypertension, and glaucoma suspects. Methods: Forty–eight eyes of 26 patients were examined. OPA was measured with DCT by one investigator masked to the visual field data. Only measurements of quality q1 and q2 were included. Visual fields were performed within 3 months of the OPA measurements by Octopus (n=30) or Humphrey (HFA) (n=18), and were analysed with Peridata software. Only reliable and reproducible visual fields were included. Mean defect (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), and regression analysis of MD (Trend index) were correlated to OPA for each eye. Pearson correlation coefficients and Bland Altman plots were used to assess the correlation. Results: Thirty eyes had glaucoma, 8 had ocular hypertension, and 10 were glaucoma suspects. Twenty–two eyes had a MD≤6dB and 26 had a MD>6dB. Regression analysis of MD was available in 32 eyes with a minimum follow–up of 2 years. There was a statistically significant correlation, both for Octopus and HFA, between OPA and MD (respectively r= 0.6, p=0.0003 and r=0.6, p=0.006), and OPA and PSD (respectively r= 0.4, p=0.016 and r= 0.6, p=0.005). There was a weaker but significant correlation between OPA and the regression analysis of MD (r=0.4, p=0.04). Conclusions: A small ocular pulse amplitude might be a risk factor for the development and progression of glaucomatous visual field defects.
Keywords: visual fields • blood supply • optic flow