Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Interobserver variability in confocal optic nerve analysis (HRT).

Manuel M Hermann1, David F Garway-Heath, Christian P Jonescu-Cuypers

  • 1Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. manuelhermann@gmx.de

International Ophthalmology
|February 7, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Task-Evoked Pupillary Dynamics Are Altered in Post-COVID Syndrome.

Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

3D Virtual Reality Performance Metrics as a Future Fatigue Biomarker in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Biomedicines·2026
Same author

Longitudinal Visual Field and Quality-of-Life Change in the Treatment for Advanced Glaucoma Study.

Ophthalmology·2026
Same author

Comparing the Rate of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Visual Field Loss as Outcomes in Glaucoma Trials.

Ophthalmology. Glaucoma·2026
Same author

Evaluation of Stereopsis Performance, Gaze Direction and Pupil Diameter in Post-COVID Syndrome Using Machine Learning.

Biomedicines·2025
Same author

Perimetric Stimuli Undergoing Complete Spatial Summation Optimize the Detection of Retinal Ganglion Cell Density Gradients in Healthy Observers.

Translational vision science & technology·2025

Observer variability in optic nerve head (ONH) measurements using Heidelberg Retinal Tomography (HRT) can impact glaucoma screening. Consistent diagnostic evaluation requires complementary methods to account for HRT measurement variations.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Glaucoma Diagnostics

Background:

  • Confocal laser scanning tomography, specifically Heidelberg Retinal Tomography (HRT), is utilized for optic nerve head (ONH) analysis.
  • Observer-related variability in diagnostic measurements can affect the reliability of screening tools.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the interobserver variability of ONH measurements obtained via HRT in a glaucoma screening context.
  • To determine the impact of observer differences on diagnostic evaluations.

Main Methods:

  • Six glaucoma specialists independently analyzed 50 ONH topographies from 25 healthy adults and one glaucomatous patient.
  • Measurements were performed using HRT software in a masked, glaucoma-screening-like setting.
  • Interobserver differences and ranges were calculated for key HRT parameters, alongside Kendall's coefficient of rank concordance.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Mean disc area measurements showed an 8.3% interobserver difference and a 5-50% range.
  • Lowest interobserver differences were observed for mean retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (6.5%), maximum cup depth (2.9%), and cup shape (6.8%).
  • A significant correlation was found between increased interobserver range and a low cup-to-disc area ratio (r=0.64, P<0.0001).

Conclusions:

  • Observer-dependent variability in HRT measurements can lead to divergent diagnostic evaluations of the ONH.
  • HRT software relying on reference databases is susceptible to observer-related variability in disc area measurements.
  • For effective glaucoma screening, HRT measurements should be supplemented with other diagnostic methods to mitigate potential diagnostic uncertainty.