Increased disk size in glaucomatous eyes vs normal eyes in the Reykjavik eye study

Purpose: To evaluate the use of disk diameter as an indicator in the identification of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.Methods: We evaluated all available stereofundus photographs for 1,040 right eyes obtained in the Reykjavik Eye Study. Horizontal and vertical disk diameters were determined in a masked manner by a glaucoma specialist (K.F.D.). All disk diameters were corrected for refractive error.Results: There were significant differences (P \u3c.05) between the corrected vertical disk diameters of normal subjects (0.189 +/- 0.018 inches) and those suspected of having glaucoma (0.202 +/- 0.020 inches) as well as between the normal and the glaucoma groups (0.206 +/- 0.029 inches). The corrected horizontal measurement showed the same pattern.Conclusions: In the Reykjavik Eye Study, optic disks meeting structural criteria for glaucoma are significantly larger than normal nerves