INTRODUCTION The retinal thickness analysis is a method that can measure the posterior pole retinal thickness and its changes due to glaucomatous damage.
MATERIAL AND METHODS We recruited two groups of patients:1)
35 patients (70 eyes)with POAG 2) 20 patients (40 eyes)without therapy and both
with borderline IOP .Both groups didn't show any visual field defects.The
follow-up was of three years.We analysed the retinal thickness of the posterior
pole with retinal thickness analyzer (RTA). RESULTS In the POAG group only 5,5%
of the eyes showed a significant reduction of the posterior pole average
(PPAV).Wile the 40% presented a significant alteration of the posterior pole
temporal/nasal asymmetry(PPTNA)and the 35% a significant alteration of peri-foveal
superior/inferior and temporal/nasal asymmetry (PFSIA and PFTNA).In the
borderline group with no significant reduction of PPAV the 31% of the eyes
showed an alteration of PPTNA, the 31,2% an alteration of PFSIA and the 18% an
alteration of PFTNA. CONCLUSIONS In the litterature has been demostrated that
there is a correlation between the visual field asymmetry and the variation
from the normal retinal thickness. In our study the two groups didn't present
(as expression of glaucoma damage) such asymmetry of the visual field and
neither in 40% of POAG eyes in wich we found an alterated PPTNA.This could be
an indicator of early glaucoma injury unrevealed by a visual field testing but
detected by thickness analysis.a longitudinal follow-up will be done to test
this hypotesis.