The relationship between the visual field and the optic nerve head in glaucomas

In a retrospective study of 50 eyes with chronic open-angle glaucoma we compared the findings obtained using stereochronoscopy (Sc), papillometry (Pm) and visual-field measurements. We found relationship between the neuroretinal-rim area and the visual-field findings measured using the Octopus glaucoma program, G1. There was only a weak relationship between the Sc findings and the visual-field measurements. This suggests that Sc detects a type of damage that is not detectable either using Pm or by visual-field examinations. Our results also suggest that quantitative perimetry detects the same kind of damage as that revealed by Pm. The neuroretinal-rim area was best correlated with short-term fluctuation, but was also very significantly correlated with mean damage and corrected loss variance.Supported in part by the Swiss National Fund (3.970-0.84)