ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In early diagnosis and follow-up of patients with glaucoma anatomic-diagnostic examinations have become more important in addition to static perimetry. Patients with open angle glaucoma suffer a slow visual field loss due to the loss of ganglion cells, which these examinations could detect earlier than perimetry can. METHODS: Parameters of the optical coherence tomography (OCT) were analysed in 89 patients (175 eyes) with advanced open angle glaucoma. In a prospective study, the functional findings from static perimetry (HFA-II, 24-2-programme) and the anatomic parameters of optic nerve analysis with SD-OCT (Cirrus-OCT) were evaluated. RESULTS: The results showed a mean deviation (MD) in perimetry of - 8.31 ± 9.76 dB and in the analysis of the optic nerve head of 71.93 ± 15.86 µm retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) as well as 85.54 ± 28.2 µm RNFL for the inferior quadrant, 0.95 ± 0.46 mm(2) for the rim area and 0.69 ± 0.18 for the vertical CD ratio. There was a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between MD und RNFL (r = 0.603), as well as RNFL of the inferior quadrant (r = 0.620), rim area (r = 0.552) and average CD ratio (r = - 0.551). The best correlation for the optical nerve head analysis was found between MD and vertical CD ratio (r = - 0.568). CONCLUSIONS: There was a good correlation between functional and anatomic parameters in perimetry and OCT. In particular, the mean and inferior retinal nerve fibre layer thickness, the rim area, and the vertical CD ratio revealed to be significant parameters in glaucomatous eyes.