Features of visual field changes in patients with degenerative optic neuropathies

BACKGROUND: Degenerative optic neuropathies are one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness. The most accessible and effective methods of their early diagnosis are standard and non-standard perimetry. AIM: The aim of this study is to identify the features of visual field changes in patients with degenerative optic neuropathies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 56 patients (97 eyes) with degenerative optic neuropathies, divided into 3 groups, and the control group consisted of 60 healthy individuals (60 eyes). In addition to the standard ophthalmological examination, all subjects underwent Humphrey visual field testing and Frequency Doubling Technology (FDT) perimetry in the author’s modification. RESULTS: In patients with degenerative optic neuropathies, the sensitivity level of both FDT perimetry strategies turned out to be significantly higher in the detection of primary open-angle glaucoma than in that of multiple sclerosis, and the specificity level was 2 times higher than that of the Humphrey visual field testing. The data of the variance analysis showed that the results of FDT perimetry reliably separate patients with degenerative optic neuropathies from healthy individuals, but it is not always possible to determine the type of optic neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS: Both threshold strategies of FDT perimetry are more effective in detecting optic neuropathy in primary open-angle glaucoma than in multiple sclerosis in terms of sensitivity. They have higher specificity than Humphrey perimetry, which indicates the advantage of FDT perimetry in separation between healthy people and patients with degenerative optic neuropathies, and not only of glaucomatous nature. The moderate and reliable correlation between the MD indices of all three strategies of perimetry indicates the expediency of their integrated use for early diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma.