Test-retest reliability of the CSV-1000 contrast test and its relationship to glaucoma therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between changes in contrast sensitivity, if any, after glaucoma therapy and the test-retest reliability of the CSV-1000 contrast sensitivity test.


METHODS
Patients with primary open angle glaucoma (N = 16) were retrospectively evaluated to determine changes in visual function, as measured by contrast sensitivity, after beta-blocker therapy. A control group (N = 24) of normally sighted patients was tested and retested on contrast sensitivity. For the control group, the coefficients of repeatability (95% confidence interval for test-retest variability [COR]) were calculated for each spatial frequency. The CORs were compared to the changes in vision found after therapy in the patients with glaucoma.


RESULTS
The group with glaucoma showed a significant improvement (P < .01) in contrast sensitivity at all spatial frequencies. The test-retest variance for normals, as measured by the COR, was smaller than the mean differences in contrast sensitivity before and after therapy at all spatial frequencies, expect 18 cyc/deg.


CONCLUSIONS
Visual function in patients with glaucoma, as measured by contrast sensitivity, does improve after beta-blocker therapy. Further, the CSV-1000 is a clinically reliable tool for monitoring these changes.
Pomerance
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GN
Plaza Eye Center, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Evans
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DW
D000368:Aged; D015784:Betaxolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D002040:Levobunolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013999:Timolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014787:Vision Tests; D014785:Vision, Ocular
D013999:Timolol; D002040:Levobunolol; D015784:Betaxolol