Abstract
Purpose :
Visual field testing in glaucoma is usually done with Standard Automated Perimetry. However, keeping a fixation for a long time, in the dark, on a chinrest can be complicated in some patient groups and can lead to unreliable results. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the more intuitive Reaction Time Perimetry (RTP) test, which measures the visual field by calculating and comparing reaction times for a foveating saccade and recognition task at different locations in the visual field. This type of visual field test is therefore more related to real-world visual performance.
Methods :
Eighteen glaucoma patients with different visual field defect locations and severities (worst eye MD = -13.33, best eye MD = -4.65, 78% binocular visual field defect) and eighteen age-similar controls with a median age of 73.5 years were included, all current drivers older than 65 years with no motor impairments. Monocular Standard Automated Perimetry visual fields (HFA) were downloaded from hospital servers. The RTP test was performed binocularly. The ability to detect glaucoma was calculated, glaucoma patients were compared to controls and correlations to well-known neuropsychological tests were calculated.
Results :
Combining several RTP variables into a Functional Ability Score (FAS), the AUC for correctly diagnosing glaucoma patients from controls was 0.74. Glaucoma patients make more errors than controls and errors are related to cognition in the glaucoma group. There are significant correlations between FAS and the Trail Making Test A and B, the Useful Field of View (UFOV) and the Snellgrove Maze task, indicating that a higher FAS is related to good cognitive health.
Conclusions :
The RTP test can detect glaucoma in a group in different stages of the disease and performance is related to neuropsychological tests aiming to measure several cognitive domains.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.