A Comparative Evaluation of 2 Rapid Strategies for Visual Field Testing: SITA Faster and SPARK Quick

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Optometry
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Visual field testing is crucial for glaucoma diagnosis and management.
• SITA Standard (SS) is the gold standard but can be time-consuming.
• Rapid visual field testing strategies aim to improve efficiency without compromising accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic performance of SITA Faster (SF) and SPARK Quick (SQ) against SITA Standard (SS).
• To evaluate measurement accuracy, agreement, and repeatability of SF and SQ.
• To assess the impact of rapid testing strategies on clinical decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, cross-sectional study involving 118 eyes of 118 participants.
• Participants underwent SITA Standard (SS) 24-2, followed by randomly ordered SITA Faster (SF) and SPARK Quick (SQ) tests.
• Statistical analyses included ANOVA, ICC, Bland-Altman plots, and ROC curves to assess accuracy, agreement, and repeatability.

Main Results:

• Both SF and SQ significantly reduced test duration compared to SS (57.8% and 73.8% reduction, respectively).
• SF showed no significant difference in Mean Deviation (MD) and Pattern Standard Deviation (PSD) compared to SS.
• SQ demonstrated significantly better MD and PSD but had lower repeatability (ICC) and sensitivity for detecting defects (40.5%) compared to SF (83.8%).

Conclusions:

• SITA Faster (SF) provides comparable diagnostic performance to SITA Standard (SS) with significantly reduced testing time.
• SPARK Quick (SQ) also shortens test duration but may underestimate visual field defects and exhibits lower repeatability.
• SF appears to be a reliable alternative for rapid visual field testing in glaucoma patients.