title: Visual field defects and changes in macular retinal ganglion cell complex thickness in eyes with intrachoroidal cavitation are similar to those in early glaucoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the characteristics of visual field defects and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in eyes with intrachoroidal cavitation (ICC) and investigate the similarities between these results and glaucomatous changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed patients diagnosed with ICC based on peripapillary radial cross-sectional scans performed with OCT. Visual field was measured with the Humphrey automated visual field analyzer SITA standard central 24-2 program, and macular ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness was measured in 9×9 mm areas on OCT. The positive rates for the Anderson criteria, site of visual field defect, and mean GCC thickness in each quadrant were compared; the association between these results and ICC location was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen eyes from eleven patients (five males and six females; mean age, 54.6±10.7 years) were selected for investigation. ICC was detected in the inferior temporal side of the optic disc in all studied eyes. The positive rate for the Anderson criteria was 73.3% (11/15 eyes). Visual field defects were most commonly observed in the cluster that corresponded to the superior Bjerrum area (53.3%; 8/15 eyes). GCC thickness was significantly lower in the inferior side, where the ICC was located, than the superior side, where the ICC was absent (P=0.0001). GCC thinning that correlated with ICC was observed in 66.7% (10/15 eyes) of the ICC eyes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Visual field and GCC findings on OCT in ICC eyes are extremely similar to those observed in superior visual field defect-type early glaucoma, indicating a possible difficulty in distinguishing the two conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Sumitomo Besshi Hospital, Niihama-shi.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Minami-Matsuyama Hospital, Matsuyama-shi; Department of Ophthalmology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Toon-shi, Ehime, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Toon-shi, Ehime, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohashi
keywords: ganglion cell complex; glaucoma; intrachoroidal cavitation; visual field