Abstract
Purpose
To assess the cumulative risk of progression in glaucomatous eyes in the severe stage of disease.
Methods
This was a retrospective observational study. Patients that had severe damage in at least one eye, as defined by three criteria including a mean deviation of ≤ − 20 dB, were included. Glaucoma progression was defined as a loss of ≥ 2 dB in mean deviation confirmed in three consecutive visual field tests, or a persistent loss of two or more lines of vision—not attributable to non-glaucomatous causes—in three consecutive follow-up examinations. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess the cumulative incidence of progression of the first eye to reach endpoint in cases where both eyes were eligible.
Results
A total of 143 eyes from 119 patients, were studied over a mean period of 4.9 ± 2.9 years. Baseline mean deviation was − 25.3 ± 3.6 dB. Twenty-three eyes of 22 patients reached the progression endpoint: 14 eyes by visual field criteria and 9 by visual acuity criteria. The cumulative 5-year risk of progression estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis was 14.6% (95% confidence interval: 6.1–22.2%).
Conclusions
In severe glaucoma patients, we found a cumulative incidence of progression of 2.9% per year during the first 5 years of follow-up. Similar incidences have been reported in other studies of glaucoma at different stages of severity.
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Data availability
Available at the study site.
Change history
17 February 2021
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-021-05115-1
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This project was developed within the framework of the Department of Ophthalmology at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile Medical School and had no funding.
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This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards stated in the Declaration of Helsinki. It was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and was granted project ID number 170922006.
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Maul, E.J., Kastner, A., Schmidt, J. et al. Visual field progression in patients with severe glaucoma. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 259, 1579–1586 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-05036-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-05036-5