title: Specificity and sensitivity of glaucoma detection in the Japanese population using scanning laser polarimetry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the usefulness of the scanning laser polarimeter (GDx; GDx Nerve Fiber Analyzer) for glaucoma detection in the Japanese population, and to investigate the difference in the thickness of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) between normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG).
  
  
  METHODS
  69 eyes of 69 normal subjects and 115 eyes of 115 chronic open angle glaucoma patients (60 NTG and 55 POAG patients) were studied. The thickness of RNFL was measured with GDx. An eye was diagnosed as glaucomatous, if at least one original GDx variable showed p <5%. The difference in thickness of RNFL between the NTG and POAG groups was then investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  46 normal eyes (66.7%) were diagnosed as not glaucomatous (no variables showing p <5%), and 93 glaucomatous eyes (46 NTG and 47 POAG eyes) (80.9%) were diagnosed as glaucomatous. Actual values of average thickness, ellipse average, superior average, and superior integral were significantly lower in the POAG group than those in the NTG group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  New variables which elucidate focal RNFL defects or early changes are needed to improve the moderate detection ability found in this present study. The pattern of the change in RNFL may differ in NTG and POAG groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan. shigeo@muse.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Funaki
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirakashi
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yaoeda
authors.forename: Haruki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Shiho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kunimatsu
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Goji
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Araie
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Hideya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitazawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology