Diffuse Visual Field Loss in Chronic Open-Angle and Low-Tension Glaucoma

Study of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Within Normal Hemivisual Field in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma and Normal-Tension Glaucoma

“…Also in visual field studies, it has been reported that the location and depth of scotoma are different between POAG and NTG patients, which may also reflect the difference in the type of optic neuropathy. [23][24][25] Drance et al 26 compared the sensitivity of the normal hemifield between POAG and NTG patients in whom visual field defects were localized either in the upper or the lower hemifield, and suggested the presence of diffuse optic neuropathy in POAG because they found the sensitivity of the normal hemifield lower in POAG than in NTG patients.…”

Quantitative analysis of visual field and optic disk in glaucoma: retinal nerve fiber bundle-associated analysis

“…Patients with relatively higher IOP tend to have more diffuse field loss, whereas those with lower pressures tend to have more localized loss [4,15,19,22].…”

Normal Pressure Glaucoma

“…In eyes with a classic, localized VFD in one hemifield only, Drance et al found the spared hemifield of HTG eyes to have twice as much diffuse loss as NTG eyes, supporting the hypothesis that elevated IOP affects visual function diffusely, while localized VFDs are less influenced by IOP-mediated damage. 113 This same group studied NTG and HTG eyes matched for extent of VF damage, pupil size, and visual acuity and found that the NTG eyes had greater areas of normal sensitivity, hence more localized damage, than HTG eyes. 114 But these researchers did not feel that this study proved a differential mechanism of damage between the two groups, because both groups also showed localized VFD, hypothesized to arise from ischemic, pressureindependent mechanisms.…”