title: Pointwise rates of visual field progression cluster according to retinal nerve fiber layer bundles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore whether pointwise rates of visual field progression group together in patterns consistent with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) bundles.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred eighty-nine eyes of 309 patients from the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study with ≥6 years of follow-up and ≥12 reliable visual field exams were selected. Linear and exponential regression models were used to estimate pointwise rates of change over time. Clustering of pointwise rates of progression was investigated with hierarchical cluster analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficients as distance measure and an average linkage scheme for building the hierarchy with cutoff value of r > 0.7.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average mean deviation (±SD) was -10.9 (±5.4). The average (±SD) follow-up time and number of visual field exams were 8.1 (±1.1) years and 15.7 (±3.0), respectively. Pointwise rates of progression across the visual field grouped into clusters consistent with anatomic patterns of RNFL bundles with both linear (10 clusters) and exponential (six clusters) regression models. One hundred forty-four (37%) eyes progressed according to the two-omitting pointwise linear regression model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ointwise rates of change in glaucoma patients cluster into regions consistent with RNFL bundle patterns. This finding validates the clinical significance of such pointwise rates. The correlations among pointwise rates of change can be used for spatial filtering purposes, facilitating detection or prediction of glaucoma progression.
authors.affiliation: Glaucoma Division, Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. nouri-mahdavi@jsei.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Kouros
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nouri-Mahdavi
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mock
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bitrian
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Abdelmonem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afifi
authors.forename: Anne L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caprioli
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology