No abstract

No abstract

SUMMARY Normal subjects and patients with chronic simple glaucoma and ocular hypertension were examined with the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test. Two groups of glaucoma patients were studied, one group having field defects in both eyes and the other being 'unilateral' in the sense that one eye had a full visual field. The stage of the disease was assessed by the amount of field loss or by the amount of optic disc damage as expressed by the vertical cup: disc ratio. Hue discrimination in eyes with glaucomatous field defects was worse than in eyes of normal subjects, but there was no clear indication of one range of colours being more affected than another. In glaucoma patients with field defects in both eyes the difference in error scores between the 2 eyes was greater than in normal subjects. There was a significant correlation between the degree of impairment of hue discrimination, expressed as the error score, and the amount of glaucomatous field loss. There was also a significant correlation between error score and the amount of glaucomatous damage to the optic disc, expressed by the vertical cup:disc ratio. Findings in a group of patients with ocular hypertension suggested that some of these were cases of incipient glaucoma.Defective colour vision has been established as part of the impairment of visual function in eyes affected by chronic simple glaucoma.1-5 The main purpose of the investigation reported in this paper was to study the relationship of the degree of loss of hue discrimination to the stage of glaucoma, the latter being assessed not only in terms of visual field loss, but also in relation to optic disc damage expressed quantitatively as the vertical cup: disc ratio. Hue discrimination tests were carried out on patients with chronic simple glaucoma, some of whom had visual field defects in both eyes and some in one eye only. Some cases of ocular hypertension were included in this study, because it was highly probable that among them would be a proportion of individuals with incipient chronic simple glaucoma. Patients and methodsThe patients tested were attending the Glaucoma Clinic of the Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital for routine diagnosis and management. All had shown intraocular pressures of more Correspondence to the Secretary, Glaucoma Unit, Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road, London EC1V 2PD. than 21 mmHg with open angles. Those classified as chronic simple glaucoma had typical glaucomatous visual field defects in one or both eyes; if both fields were full, the patient was regarded as having ocular hypertension. A small number of normal volunteers, mostly relatives and friends accompanying patients, were also tested.In some patients the Farnsworth Munsell 100 hue test was conducted in the usual way, while in others a modified procedure was used as follows. A wheel 26 in (66 cm) in diameter was fixed to a pivot mounted on an inclined base so as to be capable of rotation through 360° (Fig. 1). Around its perimeter the wheel carried 89 nylon pegs measuring 3 in (19 cm)...

No abstract

No abstract