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Baring of a circumlinear vessel in glaucoma
Archives of Ophthalmology (Chicago, Ill. : 1960)
|May 1, 1983
Summary
Detecting bared circumlinear vessels is challenging for experts, with low specificity for diagnosing glaucoma. This sign, while frequent in glaucoma, is not a reliable predictor of glaucomatous damage.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Optometry
- Glaucoma Research
Background:
- Circumlinear vessel baring is a sign observed in the optic disc.
- Its diagnostic utility in glaucoma remains under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the inter-observer agreement in detecting bared circumlinear vessels.
- To evaluate the specificity and predictive value of this sign for glaucomatous damage.
Main Methods:
- Independent examination of 144 optic disc stereophotographs.
- Assessment of inter-observer agreement on vessel baring presence.
- Analysis of bared vessel prevalence in normal, ocular hypertensive, and glaucomatous eyes.
- Long-term follow-up of ocular hypertensive patients with bared vessels.
Main Results:
- Low inter-observer agreement was found for detecting circumlinear vessels (73%) and baring (71%).
- Bared vessels were present in 73% of glaucoma, 41% of ocular hypertension, and 14% of normal eyes.
- Only 3 out of 44 ocular hypertensive eyes with bared vessels developed visual field defects over time.
Conclusions:
- Baring of a circumlinear vessel is difficult for trained observers to detect reliably.
- This sign has low specificity as an indicator or predictor of glaucomatous damage, despite its frequency in glaucoma.