Abstract

BACKGROUND. Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy characterized by progressive optic disc abnormalities and visual field (VF) defects. These defects are suspected to result from damage to retinal ganglion cells and their axons, specifically known as the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). With the advent of optical coherence tomography (OCT), RNFL damage can be objectively measured, but many OCT studies exclude individuals with high myopia and glaucoma. OBJECTIVES. (1) Evaluate the reliability of OCT results and (2) investigate the relationship between OCT and VF results in high myopic glaucoma patients. METHODS. Patients were reviewed retrospectively based on myopia (SE<-5.0D) and glaucoma status, as well as availability of reliable OCT and VF tests. Correlations among spherical equivalent (SE), RNFL thicknesses, and VF mean deviation (MD) were examined. RESULTS. We identified 78 glaucoma patients with high myopia. 31 patients (44 eyes, 38%) received OCT, out of which 29 patients’ results (41 eyes, 93%) were reliable. Analysis of 36 eyes with both reliable OCT and VF tests revealed that more negative VF MD was associated with thinner clock-hour 4 (p<0.004) and 10 RNFL segments (p<0.02), as well as thinner superior RNFL (p<0.006). CONCLUSIONS. It is important to evaluate structural and functional changes in patients who suffer concomitantly from high myopia and glaucoma. We found that thinner superior quadrant RNFL thicknesses correlate with global VF damage in high myopic glaucomatous patients. Further studies with a larger cohort are needed to establish the usability of OCT results in this population.