Visual field change after 25 years comparable in glaucoma patients, healthy individuals

The rate of visual field change over a median follow-up of >25 years in patients receiving treatment for glaucoma is comparable to the rate found in healthy individuals, according to a study.

In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, 1 eye of 40 patients receiving treatment for open-angle glaucoma and 1 eye of 29 healthy participants was randomly selected as the study eye.

Glaucoma patients were followed for a median of 25.65 years and healthy participants for a median of 19.56 years. Most participants included self-identified as White (94%).

At follow-up, the mean intraocular pressure was similar between groups (median, 15.83 mm Hg [IQR, 13.05-17.33 mm Hg] vs median, 14.94 mm Hg [IQR, 13.28-16.01 mm Hg]; P  =  0.25).

Analysis showed that 78% of patients with glaucoma had comparable rates of mean sensitivity change within the range of healthy participants.

Compared with healthy participants, glaucoma patients had a −0.032 dB/y faster mean rate of mean sensitivity change; this difference was not statistically significant.

Reference
Giammaria S, Hutchison DM, Rafuse PE, et al. Rates of Visual Field Change in Patients With Glaucoma and Healthy Individuals: Findings From a Median 25-Year Follow-up. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2022;doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.0671