Nerve fiber layer thickness in glaucoma patients with asymmetric hemifield visual field loss.

PURPOSE: To investigate the presence of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning and determine the relationship between RNFL thickness and visual field sensitivity loss in glaucoma patients with asymmetric hemifield visual field loss. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty glaucoma patients with asymmetric hemifield visual field loss and 30 normal control subjects were included in the study. RNFL thickness was measured by optical coherence tomography and visual field sensitivity was measured by automated perimetry. Glaucoma patients with advanced visual field loss restricted to 1 hemifield and early or absent glaucomatous field loss in the other hemifield on the basis of the visual field data were included. Visual field sensitivity and mean deviation (MD) were averaged separately in each of the 2 hemifields. The hemifields in each eye were categorized as early (MD>or=-6 dB) and advanced (MD<-6 dB) glaucomatous hemifields. RESULTS: RNFL thickness measurements in corresponding (eg, superior peripapillary quadrant with inferior hemifield) advanced glaucomatous hemifields (59+/-16 microm) were significantly (P<0.001) lower than in corresponding early glaucomatous hemifields (90+/-25 microm). The mean RNFL thickness in corresponding advanced and early glaucomatous hemifields were significantly lower than in normal control subjects (P<0.0001). On the basis of the normative database supplied by optical coherence tomography software, 100% and 43% of eyes had abnormal RNFL thickness in corresponding advanced and early glaucomatous hemifields, respectively. A linear correlation was found between RNFL thickness and MD in the early (r=0.6; P<0.001) and advanced (r=0.5; P=0.007) glaucomatous hemifields. CONCLUSIONS: RNFL thinning was present in corresponding hemifields of glaucomatous eyes with minimal visual field defect and correlated with visual field sensitivity loss. Measurement of RNFL thickness has potential for detection of early nerve fiber loss owing to glaucoma.

Angle-closure glaucoma in teenagers.

OBJECTIVE: To report the occurrence of angle-closure glaucoma in 2 teenagers. DESIGN: Observational case reports, review of literature. METHODS: Review of case histories, examinations, biometries, visual fields, and ultrasound biomicroscopy findings in 2 teenagers with angle-closure glaucoma. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Intraocular pressure, gonioscopy, Humphrey 24-2 visual field (SITA Standard), and ultrasound biomicroscopy. RESULTS: The first case involved a 15-year-old white male who presented with an intraocular pressure of 60 mm Hg in the right eye and 24 mm Hg in the left eye and 360-degree appositional closure in both eyes. Ultrasound biomicroscopy revealed prominent bilateral ciliary pigment epithelial cysts pushing the iris anteriorly towards the angle. The second case involved a 14-year-old white male with a strong family history of primary angle-closure glaucoma. The patient had pupillary block and an intraocular pressure of 24 mm Hg in the right eye and 40 mm Hg in the left eye on routine eye examination. Gonioscopy and ultrasound biomicroscopy revealed appositional closure of the angle in all 4 quadrants bilaterally. CONCLUSION: Primary angle-closure glaucoma is uncommon in younger individuals. Therefore, the finding of angle-closure glaucoma in a young individual should alert the physician to the possibility of a secondary cause of angle closure, such as iris pigment epithelial cysts. In addition, special attention to family history is important as the configuration of an occludable anterior chamber angle may, in some instances, be inherited.