Comparison of Contrast Sensitivity and Visual Field Loss in Patients with Glaucoma.

ABSTRACT

In the present study, 80 eyes of 40 patients with glaucoma, glaucoma suspect and ocular hypertension and visual acuity of 6/12 or better were studied. In these patients, contrast sensitivity measurements were done using Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity chart and were related to visual field loss on perimetry using on Humphrey's visual field analyzer model in order to obtain mean deviation. Mean deviation in decibel was converted in log units (1 dB = 0.1 log units). In the present study, contrast sensitivity losses were noticed in only small number of patients as compared to mean deviation shown by these patients on perimetry. Although contrast sensitivity has proven to be an important test for the early detection/screening of the people for glaucoma in some studies, we observed that contrast sensitivity testing by means of Pelli- Robson chart was not as efficacious as automated threshold perimetry for early detection of glaucoma.