Structure-function relationship in a series of glaucoma cases.

PURPOSE: To map retinal sensitivity and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, as measured by standard automated perimetry (SAP) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) respectively, in patients with various stages of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: Ninety patients with POAG were prospectively selected for SAP and for OCT RNFL thickness measurements. Factorial analysis performed independently for each hemifield was used to identify groups of related SAP visual field points. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined between visual field regions and peripapillary RNFL sectors and these data used to construct structure-function correlation maps for the various disease stages. RESULTS: Factorial analysis identified 4 factors or visual field regions for the inferior hemifield and 5 for the superior hemifield. For all patients and the subset of patients with advanced POAG, the strongest correlation was detected between the superior hemifield and the inferior RNFL sectors, while higher correlations for incipient and moderate disease stages were observed between the inferior hemifield and the superior RNFL sectors. CONCLUSIONS: In these patients, functional and structural damage can be mapped such that each zone of related SAP points correlates with one or several peripapillary RNFL zones. Such maps could improve our understanding of structure-function relationships in glaucoma.

Correlations between peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and macular thickness in different various stages of primary open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between macular thickness and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFLp) thickness in different stages of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: Ninety prospectively selected patients with different stage POAG underwent spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) to determine macular and RNFLp thicknesses in different regions and sectors respectively. Correlations were then established through Pearson's correlation coefficient between RNFLp and macular thicknesses in the different disease stages. RESULTS: Greatest correlation was observed between the inferior RNFLp sector and the internal inferior macula both in the whole patient population and in the subset of patients with incipient glaucoma. CONCLUSIONS: When the optic nerve disc is affected by another condition, macular thickness determination may help detect POAG and monitor its progression.