Comparing glaucomatous disc change using stereo disc viewing and the MatchedFlicker programme in glaucoma experts and trainees

Spatial and Temporal Relationship between Structural Progression and Disc Hemorrhage in Glaucoma in a 3-Year Prospective Study

PURPOSE

To investigate the spatial and temporal relationship between disc hemorrhage (DH) and structural progression in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in a 3-year prospective study.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with POAG and intraocular pressure of ≤18 mmHg on monotherapy with prostaglandin analogs.

METHODS

Fundus photographs were taken at baseline and every 3 months for 3 years. Disc hemorrhage and structural progression were detected independently by flicker chronoscopy. If present, clock-hour disc locations in the right eye format and colocalization were determined. Statistical comparisons were based on mixed-effects models accounting for the correlation between different disc sites within the same eye and between fellow eyes in the same patient.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Relationship between DH and structural progression at the same site.

RESULTS

Among 195 eyes of 115 patients, DH appeared in 85 sites in 65 eyes (33.3%) and was most frequently at the 7 o'clock disc location (29.4%, P < 0.0001). Structural progression occurred at 63 sites of 52 eyes (26.7%) comparably in both superior and inferior hemidiscs, which was mostly detected as widening of the retinal nerve fiber layer defects (RNFLDs). Temporal RNFLD widening was common, whereas nasal widening occurred exclusively in the vertical quadrants (P = 0.035). Of 41 progression sites in eyes with DH, 28 sites (68.2%) had both DH and progression. Progression sites with DH were less common in the superior quadrant than in the inferior and temporal quadrants (P = 0.011). Eyes with DH had a significantly higher risk of progression than eyes without DH (hazard ratio, 3.72; P < 0.0001). For 63 progression sites, DH recurrence and more visits with DH at the progression site were significantly associated with shorter time to progression from baseline (P = 0.021, P = 0.017, respectively), whereas colocalization of DH and progression were not.

CONCLUSIONS

In a 3-year prospective study with a Japanese POAG cohort, the relationship between DH and RNFLD and the pattern of RNFLD progression differed by disc location. The association between more frequent DH at the progression site and shorter time to progression indicates that DH may reflect vulnerability to same-site structural deterioration.

Evaluation of a Qualitative Approach for Detecting Glaucomatous Progression Using Wide-Field Optical Coherence Tomography Scans

Purpose

To determine the effectiveness of detecting glaucomatous progression by a qualitative evaluation of wide-field (12 × 9 mm) scans on optical coherence tomography imaging. This method was compared to a conventional quantitative analysis of the global circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness.

Methods

A total of 409 eyes with a clinical diagnosis of glaucoma or suspected glaucoma for which two wide-field scans were obtained at least 1 year apart (n = 125) and within one session (n = 284) were included to determine the sensitivity of detecting progression at 95% specificity. Qualitative OCT evaluation was performed in a similar manner to flicker chronoscopy by superimposing the two scans, and the progression probability was graded. A quantitative event-based analysis of the global cpRNFL thickness also was performed.

Results

Thirty-three and 25 eyes were deemed to have progressed based on qualitative and quantitative approaches, respectively (P = 0.152). A post hoc review of cases where the two methods disagreed revealed that all eyes missed by the quantitative analysis had established glaucomatous damage that appeared to show characteristic patterns of progression. All eyes missed by the qualitative evaluation appeared to be free of such established damage, and instead showed a generalized reduction in cpRNFL thickness.

Conclusions

Qualitative evaluation of OCT imaging information more frequently detected change consistent with known patterns of glaucomatous progression than global cpRNFL thickness, warranting further studies to evaluate its value.

Translational Relevance

A framework for qualitatively evaluating progressive glaucomatous changes on OCT imaging clinically shows promise.