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Clinical science
Relationship between macular vessel density and central visual field sensitivity at different glaucoma stages
  1. Joong Won Shin1,2,
  2. Jiyun Lee2,
  3. Junki Kwon2,
  4. Younhye Jo2,
  5. Daun Jeong2,
  6. Gilhwan Shon2,
  7. Michael S Kook2
  1. 1 Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Gangneung Asan Hospital, Gangneung, Korea
  2. 2 Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
  1. Correspondence to Dr Michael S Kook, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Korea 138-736; mskook{at}amc.seoul.kr

Abstract

Aims To evaluate the relationship between macular vessel density (mVD) and central visual field sensitivity (cVFS) at different stages of glaucoma and to compare this relationship with that between the thickness of the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPLT) and cVFS.

Methods The mVD and mGCIPLT were measured by optical coherence tomography angiography in 139 patients with glaucoma. The cVFS was defined as the average of 12 central points on 24-2 visual field (VF) testing. Vasculature–function and structure–function relationships were analysed by comparing mVD and mGCIPLT with cVFS in eyes with early and moderate-to-advanced glaucoma.

Results Global and regional mVD–cVFS associations were statistically significant in eyes with moderate-to-advanced (all p<0.05), but not early stage (all p>0.05) glaucoma. The global association between average mVD and cVFS was significantly stronger than that between average mGCIPLT and cVFS in eyes with moderate-to-advanced glaucoma (p=0.049). Reduced mVD was independently associated with cVFS loss after adjusting for age and mGCIPLT in eyes with moderate-to-advanced glaucoma.

Conclusions The macular vasculature–function relationship using mVD was stronger than the structure–function relationship using mGCIPLT in eyes with moderate-to-advanced glaucoma. The mVD may be useful in monitoring cVFS in advanced glaucoma.

  • optical coherence tomography angiography
  • macular vessel density
  • central visual field sensitivity
  • glaucoma

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2018-313019

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors JWS codesigned the study, analysed the data and drafted and revised the paper. JL, JK, YJ, DJ and GS monitored the acquisition of and analysed the data. MSK codesigned the study, monitored the acquisition of and analysed the data and drafted and revised the paper.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

    • Ethics approval Institutional Review Board of Asan Medical Center.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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