Suprathreshold Approaches to Mapping the Visual Field in Advanced Glaucoma

PURPOSE: Measuring the spatial extent of defects may be advantageous in advanced glaucoma where conventional perimetric sensitivity measurements are unreliable. We test whether suprathreshold tests on a higher density grid can more efficiently map advanced visual field loss. METHODS: Data from 97 patients with mean deviation < –10 dB were used in simulations comparing two suprathreshold procedures (on a high-density 1.5° grid) to interpolated Full Threshold 24-2. Spatial binary search (SpaBS) presented 20-dB stimuli at locations bisecting seen/unseen points until the seen status of all neighbors matched or until tested points were adjacent. The SupraThreshold Adaptive Mapping Procedure (STAMP) presented 20-dB stimuli where entropy was maximal and modified the status of all points after each presentation, stopping after a fixed number of presentations (estimated as 50%–100% of the presentation number of a current procedure). RESULTS: With typical response errors, SpaBS had worse mean accuracy and repeatability than Full Threshold (both P < 0.0001). Compared to Full Threshold, mean accuracy (Full Threshold: median, 91%; interquartile range [IQR], 87%–94%) was slightly better with STAMP for all stopping criteria, although this was not statistically significant until 100% of conventional test presentations were used. Mean repeatability for STAMP was similar for all stopping criteria (P ≥ 0.02) compared to Full Threshold (Full Threshold: median, 89%; IQR, 82%–93%). CONCLUSIONS: STAMP accurately and repeatably maps the spatial extent of advanced visual field defects in as few as 50% of conventional perimetric test presentations. Further work is needed to test STAMP in human observers and in progressive loss. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: New perimetric approaches may improve information available for advanced glaucoma management and may potentially be more acceptable to patients.