Visual Acuity in Glaucomatous Eyes Correlates Better with Visual Field Parameters than with OCT Parameters

The visual acuity is very important for glaucoma patients in their lives. The purpose of this study was to examine about the correlation of visual acuity and visual field (VF) parameters or optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters in patients with glaucoma. We evaluated 210 eyes of 210 patients (110 men and 100 women; mean age, 69.6 +/- 9.6 years) with open-angle glaucoma and 68 eyes of healthy controls. In glaucomatous eyes including healthy eyes, correlation between visual acuity and each of the VF parameters or each of the OCT parameters was estimated using regression analyses. The average visual acuity of control group was - 0.08, and that of glaucoma group was - 0.06 (early stage), - 0.03 (moderate stage), and 0.08 (severe stage), respectively. Regression analyses including healthy eyes and glaucomatous eyes revealed significant correlations between visual acuity and mean deviation (MD) of 30-2 Humphrey VF (rs = - 0.44), MD of 10-2 VF (rs = - 0.45), total deviation in central 10-2 VF (rs = - 0.42), ganglion cell complex thickness (macula, rs = - 0.33; superior, rs = - 0.33; inferior, rs = - 0.35; and global, rs = - 0.34), and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (rs = - 0.38). The visual acuity of glaucomatous eyes correlated with VF parameters and OCT parameters. The visual acuity decreased as glaucoma progressed.

Automated summary

There is a correlation between visual acuity and VF parameters or OCT parameters in glaucoma patients, and as glaucoma progresses, visual acuity decreases.