FLICKER PERIMETRY USING A LUMINANCE THRESHOLD STRATEGY AT FREQUENCIESFROM 5-25-HZ IN GLAUCOMA, OCULAR HYPERTENSION AND NORMAL CONTROLS

A prototype automated flicker perimeter was used to investigate flicke r luminance thresholds in glaucoma patients (n = 11), ocular hypertens ives (high risk n = 10, low and intermediate risk n = 21) and normal c ontrols (n = 10). Differential light sensitivity was measured for one eye of each subject using a flickering stimulus at frequencies of 5, 1 0, 15, 20 and 25 Hz at ten test locations of 1 degrees in the arcuate and nasal regions of the central 50 degrees of the visual field using a 4-2 dB staircase. The glaucoma patients had significantly reduced se nsitivities for all frequencies (p < 0.001) with minimum sensitivity a t 15 Hz. The 'high risk' ocular hypertensives had significantly reduce d sensitivities at 10 and 15 Hz (p < 0.02). At present the ocular hype rtensive patients in this study show no abnormalities demonstrable by conventional automated static perimetry. These findings may represent the earliest of perimetric deficits in patients with glaucomatous opti c neuropathy.