title: Elevation of intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients after automated visual field testing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether automated visual field (VF) testing may exert a short-term influence on subsequent intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement during the same visit.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed patients with primary open-angle glaucoma whose most recent visit occurred at a major academic institution from July to December 2009 and who had 3 visits without intervening changes in glaucoma management within the previous 5 years. Exclusion criteria were patient admittance of nonadherence with medical therapy and documented difficulty of IOP measurement. One hundred nine right eyes from 109 patients were included. IOP obtained within 30 minutes after VF testing was compared with IOP from the previous and next visits without VF testing. Subgroup analyses included the role of reliability of VF test performance, surgical versus medical IOP control, and different topical medications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average IOP measured after VF testing was 14.9 ± 4.7 mm Hg, higher than both the previous (13.7 ± 4.4 mm Hg, P < 0.001) and next visits without VF examination (13.8 ± 4.4 mm Hg, P < 0.001). A total of 22.9% of patients experienced a more than 20% increase of IOP. Eyes with surgical control had less IOP elevation than eyes with medical control (3.1% ± 15.9% vs. 11.7% ± 17.4%, P = 0.009). Users of β-blockers or α-2-agonists had less IOP elevation than eyes controlled with prostaglandins or carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (0.9% ± 15.1% vs. 9.0% ± 12.3%, P = 0.030).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This retrospective study suggests that patients with primary open-angle glaucoma experience a small and transient increase in IOP after VF testing and that this effect may be lower after surgical pressure control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510-2715, USA.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: M Bruce
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.forename: Nils A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Loewen
mesh_terms: D058647:Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014130:Trabeculectomy; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D058647:Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists