Abstract
Purpose :
Glaucoma patients often experience visual difficulty that is not explained by traditional models of glaucoma.1 This study tests the hypothesis that deficits in facial recognition, as measured by the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT), are associated with glaucomatous macular damage.
1. Blumberg DM, et al., JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017
Methods :
144 eyes of 72 participants with a diagnosis of open angle glaucoma in one or both eyes, a visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye, and a score of 30 or more on the Short Test of Mental Status were included. Abnormal regions of the OCT retinal nerve fiber layer, OCT retinal ganglion cell layer, and 10-2 VF deviation maps were required to show topographical agreement. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses using ordinary least squares were conducted to determine the association among macular function in better and worse eyes and CFMT scores. To test if contrast sensitivity (CS) had a mediating effect, we used Baron and Kenny’s four step test, in which 10-2 VF mean deviation (MD) was the predictor (X), CFMT was the outcome (Y), and CS was the possible mediator (M).
Results :
The presence of macular damage in the better eye resulted in a decline in facial recognition (54.7+7.3 without macular damage vs. 47.5 +7.9 with macular damage p<0.0001). There was a correlation between 10-2 VF MD and facial recognition (p<.0001), as well as 10-2 VF MD and CS (p=<0.0001). Although CS approached significance (p=0.06), it was not a predictor of facial recognition after adjusting for 10-2 (p=0.69).
The presence of macular damage in the worse eye resulted in a decline in facial recognition (57.1+3.9 without macular damage vs. 42.3 +8.5 with macular damage p=0.008). There was a correlation between 10-2 VF MD and facial recognition (p=<0.0001) as well as 10-2 VF MD and CS (p=<0.0001). CS was found to be a predictor of facial recognition (p=<0.0001), but CS did not remain significant after adjusting for 10-2 VF MD (p=0.11).
Conclusions :
Even with good central visual acuity, patients with glaucomatous macular damage exhibit diminished facial recognition. Although CS is correlated with diminished facial recognition, it does not fully mediate the relationship between 10-2 MD and facial recognition.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.