Topographic correlation and asymmetry analysis of ganglion cell layer thinning and the retinal nerve fiber layer with localized visual field defects.

PurposeTo evaluate the accuracy of the measurement of the ganglion cell layer (GCL) of the posterior pole analysis (PPA) software of the Spectralis spectral-domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) device (Heidelberg Engineering, Inc., Heidelberg, Germany), the asymmetry of paired GCL sectors, the total retinal thickness asymmetry (RTA), and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) test to discriminate between healthy, early and advanced glaucoma eyes.MethodsThree hundred eighteen eyes of 161 individuals with reliable visual fields (VF) were enrolled in this study. All participants were examined using the standard posterior pole and the pRNFL protocols of the Spectralis OCT device. VF impairment was graded in hemifields, and the GCL sectors were correlated with this damage. Thicknesses of each GCL, the GCL map deviation asymmetry and the pRNFL were compared between control and glaucomatous eyes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of these analyses was assessed.ResultsFourteen of the 16 sectors of the GCL and pRNFL were significantly thinner in eyes with glaucoma than in control eyes (p0.823, p0.708, pConclusionsAlthough 16 central sectors of the GCL observed with PPA showed good correlation with VF damage, the pRNFL and the GCL map deviation were more effective for discrimination of glaucomatous damage