Correlation between structure and function each cluster of test points within the central 10 degrees in glaucoma

Abstract

Purpose : To evaluate the relationships with visual sensitivities within the central 10 degrees in glaucoma and measurements of inner macular thickness divided in 5 areas and to investigate which measurements are the most useful.

Methods : Sixty-two eyes of 62 primary open-angle glaucoma patients had 10-2 visual fields and optical coherence tomography scans. We divided 10-2 test points into 5 clusters according to correlation with foveal threshold and divided macular area into 5 correspondent areas (A1~A5). Average sensitivity of each cluster was compared with the average thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL) + inner plexiform layer (IPL), and RNFL+GCL+IPL (GCC) of each area, with and without retinal ganglion cell displacement (RGCD) (Figure1).

Results : RNFL, GCL+IPL and GCC thickness of A1 which is corresponding to papillomacular area strongly correlated with average sensitivity (r=0.810～0.861, p＜0.001). In inferior arcuate area (A2) and inferior peripheral area (A3), RNFL and GCC thickness correlated significantly with average sensitivity but GCL+IPL thickness didn’t correlate. In superior arcuate area (A4) and superior peripheral area (A5), all parameters correlated significantly with average sensitivity, but RNFL and GCC thickness correlated stronger than GCL + IPL thickness. Correlation’s degree was nearly equal with or without RGCD. GCC thickness had the strongest correlation in A1 (r=0.861, p＜0.001) and RNFL thickness had the strongest correlation in A2~A5 (r=0.584～0.874, p＜0.001).

Conclusions : It may be possible to estimate visual sensitivity of each cluster by measurements of inner macular thickness. GCC thickness was the most useful parameter in A1 corresponding to papillomacular area and RNFL thickness was the most useful parameter in A2~A5.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.