PurposeWe tested the hypothesis that the macular ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness demonstrates a stronger structure-function (SF) relationship and extends the useful range of macular measurements compared with combined macular inner layer or full thickness.MethodsNinety-eight glaucomatous eyes and eight normal eyes with macular spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) volume scans and 10-2 visual fields were enrolled. Inner plexiform layer (IPL), GCL, macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL), ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), ganglion cell complex (GCC), and full thickness (FT) measurements were calculated for 8 × 8 arrays of 3° superpixels. Main outcome measures were local structure-function relationships between macular superpixels and corresponding sensitivities on 10-2 fields after adjusting for ganglion cell displacement, dynamic range of measurements, and the change point (total deviation value where macular parameters reached measurement floor).ResultsMedian (interquartile range [IQR]) mean deviation was −7.2 (−11.6 to −3.2) dB in glaucoma eyes. Strength of SF relationships was highest for GCIPL, GCL, GCC, and IPL (ρ = 0.635, 0.627, 0.621, and 0.577, respectively; P ≤ 0.046 for comparisons against GCIPL). Highest SF correlations coincided with the peak of GCL thickness, where the dynamic range was widest for FT (81.1 μm), followed by GCC (65.7 μm), GCIPL (54.9 μm), GCL (35.2 μm), mRNFL (27.5 μm), and IPL (20.9 μm). Change points were similar for all macular parameters (−7.8 to −8.9 dB).ConclusionsGCIPL, GCL, and GCC demonstrated comparable SF relationships while FT, GCC, and GCIPL had the widest dynamic range. Measurement of GCL did not extend the range of useful structural measurements. Measuring GCL does not provide any advantage for detection of progression with current SD-OCT technology.

The results show that trabeculectomy slows the rate of perimetric decay and provide evidence of sustained, long-term improvement of visual function in glaucoma. These findings suggest the possibility of reversal of glaucomatous dysfunction of retinal ganglion cells and their central projections.

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NCT01742819.

Purpose: To compare methods to assess visual field (VF) progression in glaucoma. Methods: 4,950 VFs of 253 primary open angle-glaucoma patients were evaluated for progression with the following methods: clinical evaluation, guided progression analysis (GPA), mean deviation (MD), and visual field index (VFI) rates, Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) and Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) scores, pointwise linear regression (PLR), permutation of PLR (PoPLR), and glaucoma rate index (GRI). A separate simulated series of longitudinal VFs was assessed with all methods except for GPA and clinical evaluation. Results: The average (6SD) age of the patients at baseline was 65.4 (611.5) years. The average (6SD) follow-up was 11.8 (64.6) years, and the mean (6SD) number of VFs was 16.8 (67.0). Proportion of series detected as progressing was 65% for PoPLR, 58% for GRI, 41% for GPA, 40% for PLR, 36% for CIGTS, 35% for clinicians, 31% for MD rate, 29% for AGIS, and 22% for VFI rate. Median times to detection of progression were 7.3 years for PoPLR, 7.5 years for GRI, 11 years for clinicians, 14 years for GPA, 16 years for PLR, 17 years for CIGTS, 19 years for AGIS, and more than 20 years for MD and VFI rates. In simulated VF series, GRI had the highest partial area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (0.040) to distinguish between glaucoma progression and aging/cataract decay, followed by VFI rate (0.028), MD rate (0.024), and PoPLR (0.006). Conclusions: GRI and PoPLR showed the highest proportion of series detected as progressing and shortest times to progression detection. GRI exhibited the best ability to detect progression in the simulated VF series. Translational Relevance: Knowledge of the properties of every method would allow tailoring application in both clinical and research settings.