[Central retinal sensitivity assessment with microperimetry in patients with primary open angle glaucoma]

Visual field defects in glaucomatous patients found in perimetry are analysed using increasingly more sophisticated methods. One of these methods is microperimetry, which enables detecting the progression of changes in particular central retinal quadrants in eyes with primary open angle glaucoma, especially at early stages of the disease.

99 eyes of 57 patients--men and women aged 40 to 65 years--were enrolled in the study. Retinal sensitivity in the central perimacular, 12-degree area divided into four quadrants (temporal, nasal, superior and inferior) plus the fovea was assessed with microperimetry. The mean visual field defects in particular areas were compared and analysed using the ANOVA rank Kruskal-Wallis test.

The biggest defect in the visual field was found in both superior quadrants. Only slightly milder defects were demonstrated within the fovea. The defects were the least pronounced within the inferior temporal and nasal quadrants.

Microperimetry enables detection and appreciation of changes in sensitivity of individual central retinal quadrants, which is of significance in the diagnosis of early glaucoma.