Comparison of imaging parameters between OCT, GDx and HRT in the Northern Finland birth cohort eye study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to assess and compare the optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) parameters and image quality parameters obtained by Cirrus HD-OCT, GDxECC and HRT3 in a population-based screening study. METHODS: This analysis examined 2566 subjects taking part in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye study. Images with spectral domain OCT (Cirrus HD-OCT 4000), scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT3) and scanning laser polarimetry (GDxECC) were obtained from each subject. The correlation of average and regional parameters of RNFL and ONH between devices was evaluated. RESULTS: The RNFL thickness was 90.9 µm when measured with OCT, 24.6 µm with HRT and 48.1 µm with GDx. There was a high correlation between the disc and cup measurements with the HRT and OCT and the RNFL thickness of the OCT and GDx (r > 0.5). A statistically significant correlation was found between RNFL measurements of the HRT and OCT in the superior, temporal and inferior quadrants. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) signal strength correlated with the image quality parameters of the HRT and GDx. The percentage of good quality images was the lowest with the GDx. CONCLUSION: The RNFL thickness in Northern Finland birth cohort was at a lower level compared to other studies. The study confirms the difference in measuring ONH parameters between the imaging devices. However, significant correlations between devices were found in the cup volume and cup disc area ratio parameters of the OCT and HRT. The correlations between image quality parameters and glaucoma detection parameters were relatively low.

Combined structure-function analysis in glaucoma screening.

AIM: To assess the applicability of a structure-function (S-F) analysis combining spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and standard automated perimetry (SAP) in glaucoma screening in a middle-aged population. METHODS: A randomised sample of 3001 Caucasian participants aged 45-49 years of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye Study was examined. We performed an eye examination, including 24-2 SAP, optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) photography and SD-OCT of the peripapillary RNFL. The S-F report was generated by Forum Glaucoma Workplace software. OCT, SAP and the S-F analysis were evaluated against clinical glaucoma diagnosis, that is, the positive '2 out of 3' rule based on the clinician's evaluation of ONH and RNFL photographs and visual fields (VFs). RESULTS: At a specificity of 97.5%, the sensitivity for glaucomatous damage was 26% for abnormal OCT, 35% for SAP and 44% for S-F analysis. Estimated areas under the curve were 0.74, 0.85 and 0.76, and the corresponding positive predictive values were 8 %, 10% and 12%, respectively. By applying a classification tree approach combining OCT, SAP and defect localisation data, a sensitivity of 77% was achieved at 90% specificity. In a localisation analysis of glaucomatous structural and functional defects, the correlation with glaucoma increased significantly if the abnormal VF test points were located on borderline or abnormal OCT zones. CONCLUSION: SAP performs slightly better than OCT in glaucoma screening of middle-aged population. However, the diagnostic capability can be improved by S-F analysis.

Correlation of iCare ic100 tonometry with iCare TA01i in screening of unselected population in Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye study.

PURPOSE: iCare tonometers are easy-to-use and portable devices for measuring the intraocular pressure (IOP). Purpose was to evaluate the IOP values measured by both novel iCare ic100 and conventional model TA01i devices in unselected population. METHODS: IOP was measured with iCare ic100 and TA01i tonometers in 149 participants aged 32-33 years (born in 1985 or 1986) of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye 2 study. The right eye of each participant was selected for analysis. We also collected data on axial length, corneal curvature and central corneal thickness (CCT). Bland-Altman plot was used for comparing the values obtained by these devices. RESULTS: Mean IOP measured with the ic100 device was 13.8 (3.4) mmHg, with TA01i it was 12.5 (3.0) mmHg. The mean difference between these devices was 1.30 mmHg (p < 0.001) and R2 was 0.694. In Bland-Altman analysis, the agreement between the two tonometers ic100 and TA01i was constantly good (mean difference -1.30, ic100 device showing higher measures). There was a correlation between IOP and CCT (r = 0.269, p < 0.001 for ic100 and r = 0.255, p = 0.002 for TA01i), but not with IOP and corneal curvature or IOP and axial length. CONCLUSION: In summary, we found ic100 rebound tonometry to be both reliable and effective, although CCT may influence IOP measurements with ic100 and TA01i. Therefore, iCare ic100 is suitable for IOP measurement in large cohort studies.

Icare versus Goldmann in a randomised middle-aged population : The influence of central corneal thickness and refractive errors.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the measurements of intraocular pressure by two tonometers, the Icare rebound tonometer and the Goldmann applanation tonometer, in a randomised screening study. The influence of refraction and central corneal thickness on the measurements was also evaluated. METHODS: Intraocular pressure was measured with rebound tonometer and Goldmann applanation tonometer in 1266 participants; refraction and central corneal thickness were also determined. One randomised eye of each participant was selected for this report's analysis. A Bland-Altman plot was used to compare the values obtained with the two devices. RESULTS: The correlation between rebound tonometer and Goldmann applanation tonometer was good: the intraclass correlation coefficient (r) between the two methods was 0.735 (p < 0.001). The mean difference (rebound tonometer-Goldmann applanation tonometer) was 0.11 ± 2.3 mmHg. The difference was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval: 0.11 to 0.13, p = 0.09). With increasing central corneal thickness, not only did intraocular pressure values with both devices increase, but the difference between them also increased. Refraction (spherical equivalent) did not influence intraocular pressure or the rebound tonometer-Goldmann applanation tonometer difference. However, high astigmatism (≥2D) exerted an influence on intraocular pressure values taken with Goldmann applanation tonometer. CONCLUSION: Measurements with rebound tonometer and Goldmann applanation tonometer are relatively uniform although rebound tonometer slightly overestimated intraocular pressure. Both rebound tonometer and Goldmann applanation tonometer and the difference between these devices were affected by central corneal thickness but not by refraction. Higher astigmatism affected Goldmann applanation tonometer more than rebound tonometer. It is concluded that rebound tonometer is a reliable method for measuring intraocular pressure in a population-based screening study.

Diagnostic performance of modern imaging instruments in glaucoma screening.

AIM: To evaluate the applicability of imaging devices (spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Cirrus SD-OCT), scanning laser polarimetry (GDx) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph, HRT3)) for glaucoma screening in a middle-aged unselected population. METHODS: Participants of the population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye Study, aged 45 to 49 years, underwent a comprehensive eye examination including modern imaging with five methods (retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell layer +inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) analysis and their combination with SD-OCT, GDx and HRT). The performance of the automated classification of the imaging devices was assessed using a clinical glaucoma diagnosis as reference, that is, the '2 out of 3' rule based on the evaluation of optic nerve head and RNFL photographs and visual fields. RESULTS: We examined 6060 eyes of 3039 subjects; in the clinical evaluation, glaucomatous damage was found in 33 subjects (1.1%) in 43 eyes. The following sensitivities were obtained; RNFL analysis (53%), GCIPL analysis (50%), OCT combination analysis (61%), GDx (56%) and HRT (31%) with corresponding specificities of 95%, 92%, 90%, 88% and 96%. The area under the curve values were 0.76, 0.73, 0.75, 0.75 and 0.73, respectively. Post-test probabilities of glaucoma after positive imaging finding with each of these methods in this unselected population were 11%, 7%, 6%, 5% and 7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Screening capabilities of the OCT, GDx and HRT were rather similar. The accuracy of all evaluated parameters was only moderate and thus screening with these parameters alone is not reliable.

Prevalence of glaucoma in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To report the prevalence of glaucoma in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC) Eye Study. METHODS: Subjects of the population-based Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort (NFBC), aged 45-49 years at the time of the field examination, were randomized to eye screening (50%) and control (50%) groups. The eye examination protocol included best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), measurements of intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness, Humphrey 24-2 perimetry, stereoscopic optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) photography and imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT), scanning laser polarimetry (GDx) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT). The diagnosis of glaucoma was made by two independent general ophthalmologists and three independent glaucoma experts based on the evaluation of the ONH and RNFL photographs and the visual fields. RESULTS: Totally, 10 321 subjects of the NFBC main study were alive in Finland in 2011, and they were randomized to the NFBC Eye Study group (n = 5155) and the control group (n = 5166). Of the randomized subjects, 3039 of 5155 (59%) responded and had sufficient data for the study. Glaucoma was suspected in 172 subjects (5.7%) at the first phase of the evaluation protocol. The interobserver agreement between two screening ophthalmologists was moderately good (kappa value 0.54 [95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.46-0.61]). Finally, definite glaucoma was found in 33 subjects (1.1% [95% CI 0.8-1.5]). CONCLUSION: The study provides up-to-date information on the prevalence of glaucoma in a middle-aged Caucasian population in Finland. The baseline data reported here allows the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of screening later on.

Evaluating refraction and visual acuity with the Nidek autorefractometer AR-360A in a randomized population-based screening study.

PURPOSE: The evaluation of visual acuity (VA) and refraction in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye study was performed using the Nidek AR-360A autorefractometer. The accuracy of the method for this population-based screening study was assessed. METHODS: Measurements of the refractive error were obtained from the right eyes of 1238 subjects (mean age 47), first objectively with the AR-360A and then subjectively by an optometrist. Agreement with the subjective refraction was calculated for sphere, cylinder, mean spherical equivalent (MSE), cylindrical vectors J45 and J0 and presbyopic correction (add). Visual acuity (VA) was measured using an ETDRS chart and the autorefractometer. RESULTS: The refractive error measured with the AR-360A was higher than the subjective refraction performed by the optometrist for sphere (0.007 D ± 0.24 D p = 0.30) and also for cylinder (-0.16 D ± 0.20 D p < 0.0005). The bias between the measurements of MSE, J45 and J0 was low: -0.07 D ± 0.22 D (p = 0.002), 0.01 D ± 0.43 D (p = 0.25) and -0.01 D ± 0.42 D (p = 0.43), respectively. The amount of add measured by the autorefractometer was higher than the subjective 0.35 D ± 0.29 D (p < 0.0005). There was a statistically significant correlation between VA (p < 0.0005) and the difference between the subjective and objective refraction. In 99.2% of the measurements, visual values were within one decimal line of each other. CONCLUSION: The Nidek AR-360A autorefractometer is an accurate tool for determining the refraction and VA in a clinical screening trial.

The Northern Finland Birth Cohort Eye Study: Design and baseline characteristics.

BACKGROUND: To describe the rationale and design of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC) Eye Study. METHODS: The NFBC Eye Study is a randomised prospective cohort study. The original NFBC study population consists of 12058 subjects born in the region of Lapland and the Province of Oulu. A postal questionnaire covering extensively the medical and socioeconomical background was sent to the 10300 subjects of the NFBC alive and residing in Finland. For the NFBC eye study the subjects were randomised to the screening group (50%) and the control group (50%). The screening protocol includes the following tests: automated and manifest refraction, best corrected visual acuity, central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, Humphrey 24-2 perimetry, stereoscopic optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) photography and imaging with Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy (HRT), Scanning Laser Polarimetry (GDx) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT).Two ophthalmologists evaluate the ONH and RNFL photographs and the visual fields independently. All suspected glaucoma cases are re-evaluated by two independent glaucoma experts. HRT, GDx and OCT findings are assessed separately. In the future, both groups (100%) will be examined. The effectiveness and the cost-effectiveness of glaucoma screening will be calculated. The response rate of the questionnaire was 67% (n = 6855) and 871 randomised subjects had undergone the eye screening protocol by the end of April 2013. DISCUSSION: The trial is designed to address the following questions: what is the best combination of diagnostic tests for detecting glaucoma in an unscreened population, what are the benefits and disadvantages of the screening to the individual and the society and is glaucoma screening both effective and cost-effective. The prevalence, incidence and risk factors of glaucoma and other eye diseases will be evaluated, as well as their impact on quality of life.