Ci. Phillips et al., SAUCERISATION (RECESSION) OF NEURO-RETINAL RIM IS CHARACTERISTIC OF GLAUCOMA, Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology, 37(2), 1993, pp. 171-177
Colour stereophotographs of the optic disc and surrounding retina were
assessed by a Humphrey analyser system in a series of Japanese indivi
duals. When compared with 9 age- and sex-matched control eyes (9 contr
ols), the 10 eyes of 10 patients with early open-angle glaucoma showed
a significantly lower level of the mid-point of the neuroretinal rim
relative to the level of the surface of the retina about 1/4 of a disc
diameter beyond the disc edge. When the mid-point of the rim was rela
ted to the surface of tissue at the disc edge, the level of the former
was significantly lower at the three measurement points on the nasal
side and at 6 o'clock. In the 9 normal controls, the lower half of the
neuro-retinal rim was at a significantly lower level than the upper h
alf, relative to die surf-ace of tissue at the disc edge. We conclude
that saucerisation and/or recession of the neuro-retinal rim frequentl
y accompanies glaucoma and we suspect it is an early sign of it.