Identifying biomarkers associated with functional impairment is important in monitoring glaucoma patients. This retrospective cross-sectional study investigated the vasculature–function relationship in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) eyes with choroidal microvasculature dropout (CMvD) versus in OAG eyes without. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography-derived circumpapillary (cpVD) and macular vessel densities (mVD) were measured in 159 early-stage OAG eyes (mean deviation >  −6 dB) in accordance with the presence or not of a CMvD. OCT-derived circumpapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (cpRNFLT) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thicknesses (mGCIPLT) were also measured as reference standards. The vasculature (cpVD and mVD)–function [24-2 visual field mean sensitivity (VFMS) and central 10° VFMS (cVFMS)] and structure (cpRNFLT and mGCIPLT)–function (24-2 VFMS and cVFMS) relationships were compared using global and sectoral maps between OAG eyes with (CMvD+) and without CMvD (CMvD−). The CMvD+ eyes showed significantly steeper cpVD-24-2 VFMS and mVD-cVFMS correlations (P < 0.05). In contrast, there were no significant differences in the cpRNFLT-24-2 VFMS and mGCIPLT-cVFMS relationships between the two groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, OAG eyes with a CMvD have significantly stronger vasculature–function relationships than eyes without. Vessel density parameters may be useful biomarkers of disease progression in early-stage OAG patients with a CMvD.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between optic disc hemorrhage (ODH) and the geographic pattern (regional vs. global) of parapapillary choroidal vessel density (pCVD) loss within the β-parapapillary atrophy (β-PPA) in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 100 OAG eyes with visual field (VF) defects confined to a single hemifield (50 with and 50 without ODH, matched for age (≤10 years) and VF severity (≤1 decibel) at the same hemifield), as well as 50 healthy eyes. The pCVD was measured using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). The relationships between pCVD and clinical factors were assessed globally and regionally. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the clinical factors associated with the presence of ODH. Results: The pCVD values within ODH-affected hemiretinae of ODH+ eyes were significantly lower than those in the matched hemiretinae of ODH− eyes (p = 0.001). The presence of ODH was significantly correlated with a lower pCVD within ODH-dominant inferior hemiretinae (p < 0.05). Lower pCVD values at ODH-affected hemiretinae was significantly associated with the presence of ODH (p < 0.05). Conclusions: OAG eyes with ODH demonstrate a greater severity of regional pCVD loss at the hemiretinae spatially corresponding to the ODH location compared to OAG eyes without ODH.

The 24-2C grid showed significantly greater structure-function (S-F) associations in the global and regional sectors than the 24-2 visual field (VF) grid in open-angle glaucoma eyes.Purpose: The aim was to compare a Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm-Faster (SITAfaster) 24-2C grid to a conventional HFA 24-2 grid regarding macular S-F relationships. Methods:The macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness (mGCIPLT) was measured at different parafoveal sectors using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in 150 eyes from 150 healthy, preperimetric, and perimetric glaucoma subjects. The central visual field mean sensitivity (VFMS) on the decibel and 1/L scales and the parafoveal mGCIPLT were matched topographically in 4 sectors and the strengths of the S-F relationships were assessed using "weighted" correlation coefficients and compared between 24-2C and 24-2 VF test grids.Results: There were significant global and sectoral correlations between the mGCIPLT and VFMS using both VF grids. The S-F correlations between the average/hemimacular mGCIPLT and the corresponding VFMS using a 24-2C grid were however significantly greater in both the entire and perimetric glaucoma groups (P < 0.05), except for the average mGCIPLT of the perimetric glaucoma group in the 1/L scale (P = 0.065). The 24-2C grid showed significantly greater S-F associations in the superotemporal and inferotemporal parafoveal sectors than the 24-2 VF grid (both P < 0.05).Conclusions: A 24-2C grid may offer an advantage over the conventional 24-2 VF grid in assessing macular S-F relationships.