Visual field progression in open-angle glaucoma patients presenting with monocular field loss

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Glaucoma Research
• Visual Neuroscience

Background:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Visual field loss in POAG often indicates optic nerve damage and disease progression.
• Understanding factors influencing disease progression is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the progression of visual field loss in patients with POAG.
• To compare the progression rates between the presenting eye with field loss and the fellow eye.
• To assess the influence of intraocular pressure control on disease progression.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal follow-up study of 21 patients with POAG and unilateral field loss.
• Average follow-up duration of 4.4 years.
• Monitoring of visual field changes and intraocular pressure in both eyes.

Main Results:

• 16 out of 21 eyes with initial field loss showed progression.
• 9 out of 21 fellow eyes developed visual field loss.
• Eyes with prior field loss exhibited greater progression than fellow eyes, independent of symmetric pressure control.

Conclusions:

• Eyes with existing visual field loss in POAG may be more susceptible to further progression, even with comparable intraocular pressure levels.
• Patients with unilateral POAG and field loss have an increased incidence of developing field loss in the contralateral eye.
• This suggests a potential intrinsic susceptibility of damaged optic nerves to further glaucomatous changes.