INTEROBSERVER AND INTRAOBSERVER AGREEMENT IN THE INTERPRETATION OF VISUAL-FIELDS IN GLAUCOMA

Visual field changes are one of the main parameters used to monitor pr ogression of glaucoma. This study assesses the degree of intra-observe r and inter-observer agreement among nine observers in grading visual fields in glaucoma patients using a visual held system previously desc ribed by Jay, The results show a median inter-observer agreement of 61 % (median kappa = 0.52) and a median intra-observer agreement of 72% ( median kappa = 0.65), This system for grading fields in glaucoma has a high degree of intra-observer agreement, suggesting it is a useful sy stem for longitudinal follow-up of patients by a single observer. The higher degree of disagreement between observers points to the need for careful pretraining of observers in clinical management and research where the results from visual field examinations are to be graded by m ore than one clinician.