Relationship between central corneal thickness and visual field defect in open-angle glaucoma.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship between central corneal thickness (CCT) and visual field defect in open-angle glaucoma (OAG).


METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, we tested 344 eyes in 344 eligible patients, including 233 with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and 111 with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). The association among variables, especially that between visual field defect and CCT, was probed by multivariate regression in eyes with NTG or POAG, and in all eyes. All eyes were divided into early, moderate, or severe visual field defect groups according to Anderson's classification. Statistical analysis was performed for all cases, and for the three CCT groups.


RESULTS
Multivariate regression analysis revealed an association between CCT and visual field defect in eyes with NTG but not in eyes with POAG or in all eyes. The eyes with early visual field defect had greater CCT than did those with severe visual field defect (533.2 versus 519.0 microm). The eyes with greater CCT had better visual field indices than did those with thinner CCT (-6.91 versus -9.17 dB).


CONCLUSIONS
Central corneal thickness is a factor associated with the status of the visual field defect: a greater CCT is associated with a better visual field index. Other factors such as the glaucoma subtype play a role in the effect of CCT on visual field defect.
Department of Ophthalmology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
Wenzhong
W
Lin
Yumiko
Y
Aoyama
Kazuhide
K
Kawase
Tetsuya
T
Yamamoto
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D057066:Low Tension Glaucoma / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014794:Visual Fields