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Correlation of retinal nerve-fiber-layer loss, changes at the optic nerve head and various psychophysical criteria in glaucoma

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Abstract

In 61 eyes of 61 patients with glaucoma, semiquantitative assessment of retinal nerve-fiber-layer (RNFL) loss and neuroretinal rim measurement of the optic nerve head by means of the Optic Nerve Head Analyzer were correlated to the outcomes of automated light-sense, flicker and resolution perimetry and the Farnsworth-Munsell (FM) 100-Hue test. A significant influence of age on total RNFL and total diffuse RNFL scores was found, but there was no measurable effect of age on neuroretinal rim area. Total RNFL and total diffuse RNFL scores showed a good correlation to the various visual field indices: total RNFL score vs mean flicker frequency as determined by flicker perimetry, r = − 0.606, P < 0.0001; total RNFL score vs mean sensitivity as determined by light-sense perimetry, r = −0.385, P=0.002; and total RNFL score vs mean ring score as determined by resolution perimetry, r = 0.341, P = 0.007. There was no significant correlation between RNFL scores and the FM 100-Hue score. Correlation between the neuroretinal rim area and the various psychophysical indices was poor and mostly not statistically significant. The high correlation of flicker scores with RNFL loss provides interest for future applications of this perimetric technique.

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Author notes

  1. Bernhard Josef Lachenmayr

    Present address: Universitäts-Augenklinik, Mathildenstrasse 8, W-8000, Miinchen 2, Federal Republic of Germany

  2. P. Juhani Airaksinen

    Present address: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oulu, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

    Bernhard Josef Lachenmayr, P. Juhani Airaksinen, Stephen Michael Drance & Kees Wijsman

Authors
  1. Bernhard Josef Lachenmayr
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  2. P. Juhani Airaksinen
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  3. Stephen Michael Drance
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  4. Kees Wijsman
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Lachenmayr, B.J., Airaksinen, P.J., Drance, S.M. et al. Correlation of retinal nerve-fiber-layer loss, changes at the optic nerve head and various psychophysical criteria in glaucoma. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 229, 133–138 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170544

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170544

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