A questionnaire survey of patient acceptability of optic disc imaging by HRT II and GDx
- Glaucoma Service, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK
- Correspondence to: E Tay Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road, London EC1V 2PD, UK; dr_eugenetayyahoo.com
- Accepted 29 September 2003
Glaucoma is an insidious condition which remains asymptomatic until very advanced with nerve damage occurring before detectable visual field loss.1 Early detection and treatment result in a better prognosis with retardation of progression.2
The Heidelberg retinal tomograph (HRT) II (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) and the GDx Nerve fibre analyser (Laser Diagnostic Technologies Inc, San Diego, CA, USA) are instruments which use scanning laser technology to diagnose and monitor the progression of glaucoma.
We conducted a questionnaire survey of subjects undergoing imaging by these methods in a primary care setting to compare patient acceptability of the two tests.
Methods
Seventy new patients referred with a possible diagnosis of glaucoma were asked to complete a questionnaire about their experience of optic disc imaging. Informed consent was obtained and the study had approval from the Moorfields Eye Hospital research and ethics committee. None of the subjects had undergone disc imaging previously. Subjects underwent sequential disc imaging by experienced technicians using HRT II then GDx or vice versa in approximately equal numbers. Only subjects who had vision of at least 6/12 and who had successful imaging by both methods were included. …
