Purpose: To determine the rate of visual field loss in glaucoma patients and glaucoma suspects.
Methods: Individuals identified as glaucoma or glaucoma suspects in a population-based survey in St. Lucia were re-examined ten years later in 1997. The patients had detailed ocular examinations which included visual acuity, slit lamp exams, tonometry, gonioscopy, dilated eye exam and visual field testing using the Humphrey Field Analyzer. A risk factor interview and health-related quality of life assessment were also performed.
Results: There were 364 subjects with a diagnosis of glaucoma or glaucoma suspect in 1987, with clinical examinations and Humphrey threshold visual field testing completed in at least one eye. Despite attempts to follow up on all eligible subjects, 90 had died, 69 were not examined for various reasons and 205 were examined. A grading system for visual field was created using a scale of 0-20, where 0 is normal and 20 is most abnormal. The visual field progression score was higher with increasing age (p = 0.004, right eye; p = 0.0034, left eye). No differences in progression score were noted between males and females (p = 0.10 right eye; p = 1.0 left eye). The progression score also tended to be higher for those with normal baseline visual field status in both eyes although the trend was not consistent nor the p-value consistent between eyes.
Conclusion: The rate of visual field progression was affected by age in this ten-year follow-up study of glaucoma patients and glaucoma suspects.