Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the extent and frequency of visual field (VF) improvement in untreated patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) from Wenzhou Glaucoma Progression Study.
Methods :
This was a longitudinal, observational study. 156 eyes of 101 untreated NTG patients who had previously undergone ≥5 reliable visual fields (VFs) were included. The mean deviation (MD) slope was calculated using Glaucoma Progression Analysis (GPA) from selected “Baseline” to “Last Improved Visit”. VF improvement was defined as an increase of ≥+0.5 dB/year in the MD slope. IOP measurements, VF global indices, ocular coherence tomography (OCT) parameters and fundus photographs were analyzed to determine whether they showed reversal. Main outcome measures: The change in MD (ΔMD) and number of reliable VFs (No. of VFs) over follow-ups were used to describe VF improvement.
Results :
79 eyes (51%) were defined as VF improved eyes in a mean period of 20.9±8.89 months. Among them, 63 eyes (40%) showed MD improvement within 6 dB, whereas 16 eyes (10%) showed improvement greater than 6 dB. 37 eyes (24%), 34 eyes (22%) and 8 eyes (5%) showed continuous improvement during 5-6 visits, 7-11 visits and 12-14 visits, respectively. Between “Baseline” and “Last Improved Visit”, the test duration and VF global indices both showed improvement, all P values＜0.001. And there was no obvious disease reversal suggested by intraocular pressure (IOP) and OCT parameters.
Conclusions :
There was significant VF improvement observed in untreated NTG eyes with stable IOP and no significant optic disc reversal, suggesting a long existing learning effect.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.