OPTIC DISC SIZE AND VISUAL FIELD PROGRESSION IN NORMAL TENSION GLAUCOMA PATIENTS

This study in Clinical Ophthalmology correlates optic disc size with visual field progression in normal tension glaucoma patients. Results and conclusion were as follows:

Results: The probability of visual field stability was significantly lower in eyes with large discs (large discs showed greater progression of field defects) than in those with small discs (log rank test, P = 0.007). Progression of visual field damage was significantly associated with the optic disc area (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.812, P= 0.018), occurrence of disc hemorrhage (HR: 2.116, P = 0.028), and intraocular pressure reduction ratio (HR: 0.957, P = 0.014).
Conclusion: The optic disc area correlates with progression of visual field damage in patients with NTG.

In other words, normal tension glaucoma patients with larger disc size have a higher risk of progression of visual field defects than those with smaller disc diameters.