Association of Macular Visual Field Measurements With Glaucoma Staging Systems

Macular function is important for daily activities but is underestimated when tested with 24-2 visual fields, which are often used to classify glaucoma severity.

To test the hypothesis that current glaucoma staging systems underestimate glaucoma severity by not detecting macular damage.

This cross-sectional study was carried out in a glaucoma referral practice. The eyes of participants with manifest glaucoma and 24-2 mean deviation (MD) better than -6 dB were included. All participants were tested with 24-2, 10-2 visual fields, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of the optic disc and macula.

Macular damage was based on the topographic agreement between visual field results and retinal ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer probability plots. Classifications from the Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson (HPA), visual field index (VFI), and Brusini staging systems were examined and compared with visual field and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography results.

The association between the presence of macular damage and glaucoma severity scores.

Fifty-seven eyes of 57 participants were included; 33 participants (57%) were women, and 43 (75%) were white. Their mean (SD) age was 57 (14) years. Forty-eight of the eyes (84% [95% CI, 72%-92%]) had macular damage by the study definition. These had a 24-2 MD mean (SD) of -2.5 (1.8); corresponding results for the 10-2 MD were -3.0 (2.4) dB and for the VFI were 94.2% (4.5%). The HPA system classified 70% (95% CI, 55%-83%) of eyes with macular damage as having early defects; the VFI system classified 81% (95% CI, 67%-91%) of eyes with macular damage as having early defects, and the Brusini system 68% (95% CI, 53%-81%).

These findings suggest that current glaucoma staging systems based on 24-2 (or 30-2) visual fields underestimate disease severity and the presence of macular damage. If these results are confirmed and generalizable to other participants, new systems using macular measures (from 10-2 and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography results) might improve staging of glaucoma severity.