CORRELATIONS between Functional and Structural Tests Measured by Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Severe Glaucoma

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between visual acuity, visual field and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters, including retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell-internal plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thicknesses, and optic nerve head parameters in patients with severe glaucoma.

Material and Methods: Patients with the diagnosis of severe glaucoma were recruited from the data gathered at our glaucoma department. A detailed ophthalmic examination was performed using the Standard Automated Perimetry (the 30–2 SITA standard program was used for VF testing). Cirrus EDI-OCT was used for peripapillary RNFL and GC-IPL thickness measurements. Optic nerve head parameters, including mean cup-to-disc (c/d) ratio, rim area, vertical c/d ratio, cup volume, were also measured by spectral domain OCT. Correlations between these structural parameters and functional parameters (visual acuity, VF parameters) were investigated.

Results: Forty-one eyes of 34 patients with severe glaucoma were enrolled in this study. Correlations between BCVA and mean GC-IPL thickness (p = .03), superior GC-IPL thickness (p = .03), inferonasal GC-IPL thickness (p = .01), superonasal GC-IPL thickness (p = .01), superotemporal GC-IPL thickness (p = .04), and rim area (p = .00) were found to be positive statistically significant. There was also a positive statistically significant correlation between MD and inferotemporal GC-IPL thickness (p = .03). Negative statistically significant correlations were found between BCVA and mean c/d ratio (p = .00), vertical c/d ratio (p = .02) and cup volume (p = .00).

Discussion: Mean, superior, inferonasal, superonasal, and superotemporal GC-IPL thicknesses and mean c/d ratio, vertical c/d ratio and cup volume were found to be correlated with BCVA in patients with severe glaucoma.

Keywords:

• Ganglion cell-internal plexiform layer (GC-IPL)
• retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL)
• severe glaucoma
• spectral domain optical coherence tomography
• visual acuity