Spatial contrast sensitivity in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension

Abstract

To study the characteristics of SCS in patients with POAG, PEG (as well as in the paired eye without glaucoma) and OH. The work was performed in the period from 2011 to July 2017. Analytical, observational case-control study data was analyzed. The study included 1380 patients under dynamic observation; in accordance with inclusion and non-inclusion criteria, 290 patients (540 eyes) with POAG, PEG, OH, as well as healthy people were included in the study. SCS was measured using 'Zebra v 3.0' software developed by the laboratory of clinical physiology of vision named after S.V. Kravkova in collaboration with 'Astroinform SPE' LLC. Patients were shown vertical achromatic (black and white) and colored (red, green, and blue) gratings of specific spatial frequencies (0.5; 1; 2; 4; 8; 16 cycles/degree). Among the patients of the study, 243 (83%) were female and 47 (17%) were male. The average age of all patients at the time of inclusion in the study was 67.75 (62.8; 74.5); 67.84±8.7 years. The study revealed an increase of SCS in patients with OH and their tendency for a slight increase in the contralateral eye with unilateral PEG in comparison with measurements taken from patients of POAG and PEG groups. The revealed increase of SCS is likely to be a consequence of increased or preserved hemodynamic characteristics in the vessels of the eye and orbit in patients with hypertension and in the contralateral eye in unilateral glaucoma, as described in our previous publications. At the same time, generalized changes in the vascular wall in patients with 'PEG-' on the paired eye only predetermine a tendency for an increase of SCS indices.