Performance of glaucoma mass screening with only a visual field test using frequency-doubling technology perimetry.
OBJECTIVE
To report the performance of glaucoma mass screening with only a visual field test utilizing frequency- doubling technology (FDT) perimetry in general populations.


METHODS
Hospital and population-based cross-sectional study.


METHODS
This study took place in a multicenter setting. One hundred three consecutive glaucomatous patients and 14,814 persons were randomly selected. We had created a glaucoma screening protocol (GSP) using FDT perimetry (FDT-GSP). Frequency-doubling technology-glaucoma screening protocol was tested on consecutive glaucoma patients diagnosed with Humphrey visual field analyzer (30-2 SITA standard), and then FDT-GSP was applied to general populations. Frequency-doubling technology-glaucoma screening protocol positive subjects were ophthalmologically diagnosed. Detection ability of FDT-GSP was determined in consecutive patients, and the positive predictive value (PPV) of FDT-GSP to detect definitive glaucoma was estimated in general populations.


RESULTS
Frequency-doubling technique-glaucoma screening protocol detected 83.3% and 100% of definitive glaucoma patients with an early (mean deviation [MD] > -6 dB) and more advanced stage (MD < or = -6 dB), respectively. In the population-based screening, there were 660 (4.5%) subjects who had positive FDT-GSP, including 512 in whom no visual field abnormalities (VFA) had been pointed out previously. Of them, 370 subjects underwent ophthalmologic diagnosis. Then, 266 (71.9%, 266/370) subjects had a glaucomatous disk and 167 had definitive glaucomatous VFA. Fifty-five (14.9%) and 39 (10.5%) subjects were diagnosed as having other diseases and as normal, respectively. The PPV of FDT-GSP ranged from 32.6% (167/512)-45.1% (167/370).


CONCLUSIONS
Frequency-doubling technology-based screening with only a visual field test showed reasonable performance on mass screening for detection of definitive glaucoma in this study population, considering the glaucoma prevalence.
Tatemichi
Masayuki
M
Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial and Ecological Science, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan.
Nakano
Tadashi
T
Tanaka
Katsutoshi
K
Hayashi
Takeshi
T
Nawa
Takeshi
T
Miyamoto
Toshiaki
T
Hiro
Hisanori
H
Iwasaki
Akio
A
Sugita
Minoru
M
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015351:Vision Screening / Q000379:methods*; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014794:Visual Fields