Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To determine the correlation of a new disc grading system, the disc damage likelihood scale (DDLS), with the visual field damage in patients with glaucoma. Methods: Charts of 75 patients (150 eyes) with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), 41 patients (82 eyes) with low-tension glaucoma (LTG), and 25 patients (50 eyes) with pseudo-exfoliative glaucoma (PXFG) were reviewed retrospectively. At time of clinical visit, a single observer (GLS) unaware of visual fields recorded the DDLS stages and vertical disc sizes. A different masked observer staged the Humphrey Field Analyzer (program 24-2) visual fields using the Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson visual field staging system. Mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) values were obtained. The correlation of DDLS with the visual field parameters and Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson staging system were evaluated. Findings were assessed by Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients. Results: In the 282 eyes studied, the DDLS was strongly correlated with both MD (Pearson's r = -0.695, p< 0.001) and PSD (Pearson's r = 0.703, p<0.001). The Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson visual field staging system was also strongly correlated with the DDLS (Spearman's r = 0.711, p<0.001). These relationships continued to be significant when the three diagnostic groups (POAG, LTG, PXFG) were evaluated separately (p<0.001), and also for small (less than 1.5 mm) and average size (1.5 - 2.0 mm) discs. Large discs (≷ 2.0 mm) were not evaluated because of an insufficient number of cases. Conclusion: The DDLS, a new system for estimating glaucomatous disc damage, strongly correlates with the degree of glaucomatous visual field damage.
Keywords: 498 optic disc • 356 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: systems/equipment/techniques • 624 visual fields