title: Do patients with glaucoma have difficulty recognizing faces?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare face recognition performance of glaucomatous patients with age-similar visually healthy people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Percentage of correctly identified faces in the Cambridge Face Memory Test was assessed in glaucomatous patients (n = 54; mean age = 69) with a range of visual field (VF) defects and visually healthy controls (n = 41; mean age = 67). All participants underwent cognitive and visual assessment (binocular visual acuity [BVA], contrast sensitivity [CS], and Humphrey VFs, both 10-2 and 24-2) and had BVA of at least 0.18 logMAR. Patients were classified as having "early," "moderate," or "advanced" VF defects using the Hodapp, Parrish and Anderson Method: Patients were also stratified by better-eye 10-2 mean deviation (MD) being better or worse than the 1% normative value.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in age (P = 0.25) or cognitive ability (P = 0.31) between groups; however, differences in BVA and CS were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Patients with advanced VF defects identified fewer faces on average (±SD) (66% ± 15%) than those with early (75% ± 11%) and moderate (75% ± 13%) defects and controls (75% ± 11%); P < 0.05. Patients with a best-eye 10-2 MD P < 1% identified fewer faces (67% ± 13%) than those with 10-2 MD P > 1% (77% ± 11%) and controls P < 0.01 (75% ± 11%). Multiple regression analysis revealed CS was important for face recognition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When compared with age-similar people with healthy vision, glaucomatous patients with advanced bilateral 24-2 VF loss, significant 10-2 VF loss, or poor CS are more likely to experience problems with face recognition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry and Visual Science, City University London, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Glen
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Crabb
authors.forename: Nicholas D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Garway-Heath
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018450:Disease Progression; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D057066:Low Tension Glaucoma / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*