Macular Damage in Glaucoma is Associated With Deficits in Facial Recognition

This report examines the relationship between glaucomatous macular damage and facial recognition. In addition, it assesses the role of contrast sensitivity (CS) as an intermediary step in the causal pathway between macular damage and impairment of facial recognition.

Prospective cross-sectional study.

This study was conducted in a single tertiary care center. The study population included 144 eyes of 72 participants with a diagnosis of open angle glaucoma in one or both eyes and a visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye. The presence or absence of macular damage was determined by comparing corresponding regions of the retinal nerve fiber layer and the retinal ganglion cell layer with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with the 10-2 visual field (VF). Better and worse eye was determined by 10-2 VF mean deviations (MDs). Interventions were 1) macular function as measured by 10-2 VF and 2) CS as measured by the Freiburg Visual Acuity and Contrast Test (FrACT). The primary outcome measure was the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) score.

Regardless of eye, there was a significant correlation between facial recognition and 10-2 VF MD (P < .0001 better, worse eye). The 10-2 VF MD remained a significant predictor of facial recognition after adjusting for potential confounders including glaucoma severity, CS, age, and visual acuity (P = .004 better eye, P = .019 worse eye).

Even with good central visual acuity, patients with glaucomatous macular damage exhibit diminished facial recognition, which is partly mediated through diminished CS.