Fast Visual Field Testing in the Diagnosis of Glaucoma

Abstract

Here we analyze the evolution of perimetric strategies, from the time that it became known that prolonged examination decreases their accuracy. The new strategies do not seek great accuracy in measuring threshold, which is assumed to be impossible to achieve, but rather estimate it with an acceptable level of error, adapted by the clinical usefulness of examinations. This approach exploits the redundancy inherent to the glaucomatous visual field. Thresholds are not independent of each other, and the results obtained in some areas are applicable to the measurement of thresholds and defects in other areas. The estimation of threshold values has to be addressed from a probabilistic point of view. These new strategies are accepted as being superior in many ways to traditional strategies, and even facilitate interpretation of the degree of reliability of perimetric studies. The first examinations of the patient can be repeated without too much loss of time to ensure sufficient training.

Keywords: Perimetry, visual field, scotoma, glaucoma diagnosis, glaucoma progression, glaucoma monitoring, visual function, blindness, fast perimetry, visual threshold, Tendency Oriented Perimetry, Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm.