ASSESSMENT OF RETINAL NERVE-FIBER LAYER IN EARLY GLAUCOMA DIAGNOSIS

The study of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) can be used to detec t structural glaucomatous damage, which usually precedes alterations i n the visual field of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. In a prospective, longitudinal study,a total of 149 eyes of ocular hyperten sive patients who had a normal visual field and 20 normal control eyes were evaluated by of a periodic study of the retinal nerve fiber laye r and the visual field, with a minimum follow up of 5 years. Thirty-th ree eyes (22.1%) of the ocular hypertensive group developed campimetri c alterations that were specific for glaucoma during the follow up. In 88.7% of the cases, there had been alterations in the RNFL for at lea st 4 years before the development of campimetric alterations. No eye i n the control group developed campimetric alterations specific of glau coma.