The optic disc in glaucoma II: correlation of the appearance of the optic disc with the visual field.

Abstract

Examination of stereoscopic optic disc photographs allowed accurate prediction of glaucomatous and normal fields to be made in 82 and 95% of eyes respectively and for visual field loss to be correctly located in upper and lower half in 83 and 91% of cases respectively. Despite this high correlation the existence of false positive and fale negative predictions means that the total reliance on optic nerve examination without visual field estimation in the evaluation of the glaucoma patient should not be made. Optic disc examination is too insensitive for long-term follow-up of visual function in a glaucoma patient. The high correlation between the state of the visual field and the optic disc means that, in the evaluation of the visual functions of a glaucoma patient, the appearance of the optic disc and the visual field should be in agreement.