Relationship between Visual Field Sensitivity and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness as Measured by Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

Evaluation of the structure-function relationship in normal subjects and those with PPG or POAG showed strong curvilinear regression in POAG eyes with PSD >1.9 dB and RNFL AVG thickness below 70 microm, whereas no correlation was detectable above these values.

Correlation of localized glaucomatous visual field defects and spectral domain optical coherence tomography retinal nerve fiber layer thinning using a modified structure–function map for OCT

“…It has been shown that analysis of early glaucomatous, healthy individuals, and glaucoma suspect eyes have weaker correlation with VF sensitivity than analyses that include eyes with moderate to severe glaucoma patients, mainly because in healthy and suspect patients, the range of VF loss is narrower. 14,18,28 On the other hand, in the current study, we found that with deterioration of VF, the RNFL thickness tends to be stable despite of changes in VF (Figure 2). Leite et al 18 reported similar findings.…”

“…[2][3][4][5][6]12,14,[16][17][18] However, most of these studies used the Stratus time Correlation of localized glaucomatous VF defects and SD-OCT RNFL thinning H Wu et al domain OCT to measure RNFL thickness. [2][3][4]6,13,14,16,17 Although in two of these studies, SD-OCT was used to evaluated RNFL thickness, 5,18 the structure-function correspondence maps made in those studies correlated VF test points to regions of the ONH. In the present study, we created a modified OCT-based structurefunction map that shows significant correlation between localized areas of VF loss and SD-OCT measurements of RNFL thinning.…”

“…SAP provides a few parameters (ie, raw threshold values (VF sensitivity), total deviation values, pattern deviation values, MD, and PSD), but which are best fit for functional assessments and statistical analyses? In previous structure-function relationship studies where localized VF defects were correlated to RNFL thickness changes, VF parameters used included mean raw threshold values, 2,9,12,14,15,17 total deviation values, 1,[3][4][5]13,16,18 and pattern deviation values. 16 Total deviation values, which are age-corrected, are less influenced by age than raw threshold values, and they may be more sensitive to detect early diffuse loss compared with pattern deviation values.…”

“…14,18,28,29 NouriMahdavi et al 29 described that in early glaucoma, with their group average MD of -2.9 dB, no correlation was found between MD/PSD and RNFL average thickness using the OCT 2000 (Carl Zeiss Meditec). Ajtony et al 14 reported that no structure-function correlation was detected in POAG eyes with PSD o1.9 dB and RNFL average thickness above 70 mm. Leite et al 18 found weak-to-moderate structure-function associations with glaucoma patients with an average MD of -5 dB in their study.…”

“…Significant correlations have been described between glaucomatous structural changes of the optic disc and/or retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and functional changes on VF testing. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Determining whether there is good correlation between localized VF defects and localized RNFL defects may be important in deciding whether glaucomatous progression has occurred and in understanding the pathogenesis of the disease.…”