The ability of changes in oct angiography values to predict visual field and retinal nerve layer tomography...

To investigate whether changes in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) values can predict progression in the visual field (VF) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in patients with glaucoma progression.

All patients in the glaucoma outpatient clinic of SBU Gulhane Medicine Faculty between 2021 and 2023 underwent RNFL, 24:2 VF, and simultaneous peripapillary OCTA. 130 eyes that progressed were included in the study. Thinning of more than 5 μ in any quadrant in the RNFL or a decrease of more than 1 dB in the MD value in the visual field within 6 months was accepted as a progression criterion. The ability of changes in OCTA thickness values and OCTA radial peripapillary capillary plexus (RPCP) analysis to predict progression in RNFL and VF was prospectively investigated.

The mean age of the patients was 66.9 ± 11.8 years. There was progression in VF in 70 eyes and RNFL in 89 eyes between baseline and 6-month controls. The change in OCTA thickness values had insufficient ability to predict the progression of RNFL in the superior, inferior, nasal, temporal and total quadrants (p = 0.55, 0.40, 0.84, 0.91, 0.39, respectively). The changes in OCTA thickness values failed to predict VF MD progression in the superior, inferior,nasal,temporal,and total quadrants (p = 0.40, 0.11, 0.24, 0.44, 0.10, respectively). The changes in OCTA RPCP values ​​did not show superiority in the ability to predict RNFL progression in superior, inferior, nasal, temporal, and total quadrants (p = 0.21, 0.53, 0.39, 0.39, 0.29, respectively). The changes in OCTA RPCP values ​​did not show superiority in the ability to predict VF progression in superior, inferior, nasal, temporal, and total quadrants (p = 0.96, 0.29, 0.77, 0.42, 0.21, respectively).

Although OCTA is a non-invasive imaging test whose use and popularity have been increasing in recent years, our study could not show superiority compared to RNFL and VF tests in demonstrating glaucoma progression.