The relationship between visual disability and visual field in patients with glaucoma

Abstract

Purpose To evaluate the relationship between visual disability and the remaining visual field in glaucoma patients. Design Prospective noncomparative survey. Participants One hundred forty-seven Japanese patients with glaucoma were examined. Methods Using a previously developed questionnaire, we assessed the relationship between visual disability indices and both the visual field examined using program 30-2 of the Humphrey Field Analyzer and visual acuity. Main outcome measures Pearson’s correlation coefficients between visual disability indices and the 22 visual field and 2 visual acuity measurements were calculated. Multiple regression analysis with stepwise variable selection identified factors significantly contributing to visual disability. Results We identified a significant correlation between visual disability and both the visual field and visual acuity measurements collected. Of the factors examined, retinal sensitivity in the lower hemifield within 5° of the fixation and visual acuity in the better eye significantly contributed to all the item and total disability indices (DIs), measurements of the degree of visual disability as evaluated by the questionnaire; visual acuity in the worse eye contributed to two of the seven item DIs, as well as the total DI. The R value for total DI ( R = 0.87, P < 0.0001) indicated that approximately 76% of the visual disability could be explained by these factors. Conclusions The Japanese glaucoma patients’ visual disability is explained primarily by retinal sensitivity in the lower hemifield within 5° of the fixation and visual acuity in the better eye and secondarily by visual acuity in the worse eye.