Abstract
Purpose :
We investigated the relationship between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and visual field loss among Latino, African, and Chinese American eyes with a clinical diagnosis of glaucoma.
Methods :
We obtained data from 50+-year-old participants with a clinical diagnosis of glaucoma from three multiethnic population-based studies of eye diseases in the Los Angeles area: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES), Chinese American Eye Study (CHES), and the African American Eye Disease Study (AFEDS). Imaging was completed using the Cirrus HD-OCT with the Optic Disc Cube 200x200 protocol. Scans with low signal strength (<6) were excluded. Associations between RNFL thickness and visual field loss (mean deviation) and potential covariates were assessed using multivariable linear mixed regression.
Results :
There were 1742 OCT scans available from 966 individuals with glaucoma, including 263 Latinos, 348 Chinese Americans, and 355 African Americans. 58% were female. The average RNFL thickness was 86 μm (95% CI: 76-95 μm) among all glaucoma eyes. Average RNFL was lower in African American eyes than Chinese and Latino eyes, even after accounting for age, waist-hip ratio, axial length, and visual field mean deviation. Also, a significant interaction was observed between race/ethnicity and visual field defect on the average RNFL thickness and the inferior quadrant RNFL thickness (Ps<0.05). With each decibel of loss in visual field mean deviation among glaucoma eyes, Chinese eyes and Latino eyes had more reduction in RNFL thickness (-1.03 and -1.00 μm, respectively) than African American eyes (-0.77 μm). This pattern was observed in the inferior quadrant as well.
Conclusions :
This multiethnic population-based study suggests that the relationship between visual field loss and RNFL thickness in glaucoma varies by ethnicity/race. It indicates that race/ethnicity should be considered for the use of OCT in diagnosing glaucoma.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.