Changes of Glaucomatous Field Defects Analysis of OCTOPUS fields with programme Delta

Abstract

With the trial version of an analytical programme Delta, developed by Bebie and Fank-hauser [1], the change in the 30°-visual field (OCTOPUS programme no. 31) of 125 eyes of 66 patients with chronic simple glaucoma or ocular hypertension, Pseudoex-foliation glaucoma and pigmentary glaucoma included, were analysed. The mean age of the patients was 61.2 ±11.3 years, the intervals between the examinations were 59 to 473 days.

In the subsequent examinations the size of the disturbed area,the total loss and the loss per examination per mean number of disturbed points diminished. The verbal statement, evaluating 126 intervals, concluded 19 times on ‘increased loss’, 28 times on ‘decreased loss’. As the examined sample consisted of patients in which the glaucoma was under observation since long time and in which no dramatic changes in the glaucomatous situation did occur, these changes, evaluated as ‘improvements’, are no factual ameliorations, but learning effects and fluctuations. By evaluating changes from the first to the second examination and comparing them to those occurring from the second to the third examination in 13 eyes, it became obvious, that the so-called improvements are considerable in size from the first to the second, but no longer from the second to the third examination. This learning effect runs up to 2 dB.