Evaluation of the significance of some diagnostic parameters in making an early diagnose of primary open-angle glaucoma

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic parameters and analysis of their advantages and limitations in early diagnostics of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Cup/disc ratio (C/D), nerve fiber index (NFI) and mean deviation of retinal sensitivity (MD) were considered. MATERIAL/METHODS: Fifty primary open-angle glaucoma patients (95 eyes), 67 primary open-angle glaucoma suspects (128 eyes), and 77 healthy subjects (148 eyes) underwent full ophthalmologic examination and also HRT, GDx and FDT examinations for determination of C/D, NFI, and MD parameters. Student’s t test was used to confirm the statistical significance of the differences between the particular group pairs. Histograms of distribution of the occurrence frequency of the parameter values in the groups were plotted. RESULTS: The mean values of C/D were 0.65±0.11, 0.58±0.11 and 0.43±0.11, NFI 37.0±22.7, 18.5±5.6 and 15.1±4.8 and MD −3.00±5.07, −077±2.49 and −0.29±1.94, respectively. Statistically significant differences between the particular groups were found. There was a partial overlapping of the histograms of distribution of the occurrence frequency of the parameter values. CONCLUSIONS: The basic diagnostic C/D NFI and MD parameters in primary open-angle glaucoma patients, primary open-angle glaucoma suspects and healthy subjects differed significantly. These parameters are important diagnostic tools in glaucoma diagnosis. A limitation of their applicability is related to a high scatter of the results and their overlapping in particular groups.