title: Comparison study of OCT, HRT and VF findings among normal controls and patients with pseudoexfoliation, with or without increased IOP.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare and evaluate optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measurements obtained with the optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the Heidelberg retina tomography (HRT) to visual field (VF) parameters in normal and in patients with pseudoexfoliation with or without increased intraocular pressure (IOP).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 96 subjects were included in our study aged between 65 years and 78 years. The normal group consisted of 28 subjects (14 men and 14 women). Out of the total number of patients, 68 patients who showed pseudoexfoliation (21 men and 47 women) were divided into two groups. Of these, the first group had pseudoexfoliation with increased IOP and the second group showed deposits of pseudoexfoliative material without an increase in IOP. The normal controls were randomly chosen and restricted to those without any glaucomatous optic disc damages, VF defects, and an IOP <15 mmHg. All subjects were prospectively included for repeated measurements of IOP, OCT, HRT, and VFs during the same visit by the same examiner and all measurements were repeated every 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean RNFL thickness measured by OCT was larger in the normal controls than in the other two groups (98.04 μm (first group) vs 75.42 μm and 97.02 μm (second group), P<0.05). Four-quadrant RNFL thickness measurements were significantly different between the normal and the group 1 (P<0.05) but not with the group 2 (P>0.05). Rim area had a mean difference of -0.44, whereas cup-to-disc ratio (C/D) showed a mean difference of 0.31, thus being significantly different between the normal and the two groups (all P<0.05). The median of the mean deviation parameter of VFs was -0.28 for the normal vs -0.32 and -0.18 for the other two groups, whereas pattern standard deviation median difference was 0.89 for the normal and 1.32 and 1.20 for the other two groups, respectively (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both OCT and HRT showed early ONH and RNFL changes in their parameters and did not correlate with the normal findings of the automated perimetry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Fryni
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Riga
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ilias
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Georgalas
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsikripis
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Papaconstantinou
keywords: Heidelberg retina tomograph (HRT); optical coherence tomography (OCT); pseudoexfoliation glaucoma; pseudoexfoliation syndrome; retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL); visual fields (VFs)