Macular Damage in Patients with Glaucoma Linked to Diminished Facial Recognition

Patients with glaucomatous macular damage show diminished facial recognition, even when they have good central visual acuity, according to an article published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

In the prospective cross-sectional study, the 144 eyes of 72 patients with of open angle glaucoma in one or both eyes and a visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye, were screened for macular damage by comparing corresponding regions of the retinal nerve fiber layer and the retinal ganglion cell layer spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with the 10-2 visual field (VF). Utilizing 10-2 VF mean deviations (MD), the better and worse eye were identified.

There was a significant correlation between facial recognition and 10-2 VF MD, regardless of eye. After adjusting for potential confounders, 10-2 VF MD remained a significant predictor of facial recognition.

The authors concluded that, “even with good central visual acuity, patients with glaucomatous macular damage exhibit diminished facial recognition, which is partly mediated through diminished contrast sensitivity.”

Reference

Hirji SH, Liebmann JM, Hood DC, et al. Macular damage in glaucoma is associated with deficits in facial recognition. Am J Ophthamol. 2020; epub ahead of print: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2020.04.032