Objective: To evaluate the correlation between structural optic disc measurements that were obtained with a scanning confocal laser tomograph and functional measurements that were obtained with automated static threshold perimetry.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: An American school of medicine.
Patients: Forty-six patients (mean +/- SD age, 63 +/- 10 years) with early to moderate glaucoma (average mean deviation +/- SD, -4.8 +/- 6.2 dB).
Interventions: Automated static threshold perimetry (performed with either the Octopus G1 program, Interzeag, Schlieren, Switzerland, or the Humphrey 24-2 program, Allergan Humphrey, San Leandro, Calif) and confocal optic disc tomography (performed with the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph, Heidelberg [Germany] Engineering GmbH) were performed on one randomly selected eye per patient.
Main outcome measure: The correlation between the visual field indexes, namely, the mean deviation and corrected pattern SD, and the topographic measurements for the optic disc and nerve fiber layer.
Results: A statistically significant correlation was found between the third central moment of the frequency distribution of the depth values for the optic disc structures and the visual field indexes. Pearson correlation coefficients were r = -.65 (P < .0001) and r = .55 (P < .0001) for the mean deviation and corrected pattern SD, respectively.
Conclusion: The third central moment of the depth distribution for the optic disc measurements is strongly related to the overall shape of the optic disc cup and is a robust indicator of the degree of glaucomatous optic nerve damage.