title: Optic Disc Characteristics and Visual Field Progression in Normal Tension Glaucoma Patients With Tilted Optic Discs.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the optic disc characteristics associated with visual field (VF) progression in normal tension glaucoma (NTG) eyes with tilted optic discs.
  
  
  
  Sixty-six eyes of 66 NTG patients with tilted optic disc were included in this cross-sectional study, who were examined by at least 5 Humphrey 30-2 VFs. Glaucomatous VF progression was evaluated using pointwise linear regression. Optic nerve heads were scanned with enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), and evaluated for the focal lamina cribrosa (LC) defects and LC thicknesses. Optic disc torsion degrees and tilt ratios were measured from disc photographs. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors for VF progression and focal LC defects.
  
  
  
  Multivariate analysis showed that VF progression was associated with the presence of focal LC defects and greater number of VFs. The eyes with focal LC defects were associated with greater torsion degree and tilt ratio in multivariate analysis. The VF mean deviation slopes and localized VF progression rates in eyes with focal LC defects were greater than those without defects.
  
  
  
  The greater optic disc tilt and torsion in NTG eyes with tilted optic disc were associated with focal LC defects, but not with VF progression. The focal LC defects were associated with VF progression. This study suggests that the focal LC defects in NTG patients with tilted optic disc may be an independent risk factor for glaucomatous VF progression, and the development of focal LC defects could be influenced by optic disc torsion or tilt.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul †Department of Ophthalmology, Eul-ji University Hospital, Daejeon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Youngkyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kwun
authors.forename: Gyule
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yoon-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choy
authors.forename: Jong Chul
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Changwon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005124:Eye Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D057066:Low Tension Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000002:abnormalities*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014794:Visual Fields