A Comparative Study between Swedish Interactive Thresholding Algorithm Faster and Swedish Interactive Thresholding...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Visual Sciences
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Glaucoma diagnosis relies on visual field testing, which can be time-consuming.
• Automated perimetry, such as the Swedish Interactive Thresholding Algorithm (SITA), is a standard method for visual field assessment.
• Optimizing testing efficiency is crucial for patient comfort and clinical throughput.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and agreement of the novel SITA Faster algorithm against the established SITA Standard in glaucoma patients.
• To evaluate differences in test duration and key visual field parameters between the two SITA strategies.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 49 glaucoma patients with prior automated perimetry experience.
• Each patient underwent two consecutive visual field tests in a randomized order: one with SITA Standard and one with SITA Faster.
• Key metrics analyzed included test time, Mean Deviation (MD), Visual Field Index (VFI), and the number of depressed points on deviation maps.

Main Results:

• SITA Faster demonstrated a significant reduction in average test time, being 56% shorter than SITA Standard (P < 0.001).
• Excellent agreement was observed between SITA Faster and SITA Standard for MD (ICC = 0.98) and VFI (ICC = 0.97).
• Good agreement was also found for the number of depressed points on total and pattern deviation maps (ICC between 0.8 and 0.95).

Conclusions:

• SITA Faster offers a substantial decrease in visual field testing duration while maintaining strong concordance with SITA Standard results.
• The findings support SITA Faster as a viable and efficient alternative to SITA Standard for glaucoma assessment.
• This accelerated testing method has the potential to improve patient experience and streamline the diagnostic process in glaucoma management.