CORRELATION OF VISUAL-FIELD WITH SCANNING CONFOCAL LASER OPTIC DISC MEASUREMENTS IN GLAUCOMA

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between structural optic disc m easurements that were obtained with a scanning confocal laser tomograp h and functional measurements that were obtained with automated static threshold perimetry. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: An Ameri can school of medicine. Patients: Forty-six patients (meant +/- SD age , 63 +/- 10 years) with early to moderate glaucoma (average mean devia tion +/- SD, -4.8 +/- 6.2 dB). Interventions: Automated static thresho ld perimetry (performed with either the Octopus G1 program, Interzeag, Schlieren, Switzerland, or the Humphrey 24-2 program, Allergan Humphr ey, San Leandro, Calif) and confocal optic disc tomography (performed with the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph, Heidelberg [Germany] Engineering GmbH) were performed on one randomly selected eye per patient. Main O utcome Measure: The correlation between the visual field indexes, name ly, the mean deviation and corrected pattern SD, and the topographic m easurements for the optic disc and nerve fiber layer. Results: A stati stically significant correlation was found between the third central m oment of the frequency distribution of the depth values for the optic disc structures and the visual field indexes. Pearson correlation coef ficients were r = -.65 (P < .0001) and r = .55 (P < .0001) for the mea n deviation and corrected pattern SD, respectively. Conclusion: The th ird central moment of the depth distribution for the optic disc measur ements is strongly related to the overall shape of the optic disc cup and is a robust indicator of the degree of glaucomatous optic nerve da mage.