Automated diagnosis of glaucoma disease has been studied for years. A great amount of research work in this field has been focused on the analysis of retinal fundus images to localize, detect and evaluate the optic disc. An open fundus image database with accurate gold standards of the optic nerve head has been implemented. A variability measurement by zones of the optic disc is also proposed. The relevance of this work is to provide accurate ONH segmentations and a segmentation assessment procedure to allow the design of computerized methods for glaucoma detection.

Hb levels evaluated by color analysis of ONH photographs had high reproducibility, a high sensitivity-specificity balance, and moderate to strong agreement with other structural and functional tests.

Visual field sensitivity was better correlated with Hb levels than with rim sector areas or the corresponding nerve fiber thickness. In many cases the remaining rim show low perfusion, especially in the superior and inferior sectors.

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The amount of Hb in the ONH seems to have an important relationship with glaucomatous visual field sensitivity. The remaining rim has insufficient perfusion in many cases of glaucoma.