Visual field staging systems in glaucoma and the activities of daily living.

Purpose: To compare 8 clinically relevant methods of staging visual field (VF) damage in glaucoma with a performance-based measure of the activities of daily living and self-reported quality of life.

Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Methods: One hundred ninety-two patients with various types of glaucoma were evaluated at the Wills Eye Institute using standard monocular and binocular VF testing, as well as an objective, performance-based measure of visual function (the Assessment of Disability Related to Vision), and a subjective, standardized measure of quality of life (the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire).

Importance of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in patients with glaucoma.

Objective: To determine which aspects of vision most influence the ability of patients with glaucoma to function.

Methods: A total of 192 patients with a full range of glaucomatous visual loss were selected from the Glaucoma Service of Wills Eye Institute. Patients were evaluated clinically with standard visual assessments: visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual field, stereopsis, the Disc Damage Likelihood Scale, and intraocular pressure.

Relationships in glaucoma patients between standard vision tests, quality of life, and ability to perform daily activities.

Purpose: To determine the relationships among three methods of assessing visual loss caused by glaucoma: (1) standard clinical tests of vision, (2) self-reported quality of life, and (3) the ability to perform activities of daily living.

Methods: One hundred and ninety two glaucoma patients with a full range of glaucomatous visual loss were selected from the Glaucoma Service of Wills Eye Institute. Subjects were evaluated clinically by visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual field, stereopsis, the Disc Damage Likelihood Scale, and intraocular pressure.

A new method of assessing ability to perform activities of daily living: design, methods and baseline data.

Purpose: To describe study protocol and baseline characteristics of initial subjects.

Methods: Prospective study of 194 glaucoma patients. After informed consent, patients were evaluated using a third-generation, performance-based measure, Assessment of Disability Related to Vision (ADREV), nine tasks to simulate daily living activities; including: reading in reduced illumination, recognizing facial expression, detecting motion, recognizing street signs, locating objects, ambulating, placing pegs into different sized holes, telephoning, and matching socks.

Managing refractory glaucoma with a fixed combination of bimatoprost (0.03%) and timolol (0.5%).

Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy characterized by progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells, which manifests clinically with loss of optic disc neuroretinal rim tissue, defects in the retinal nerve fiber layer, and deficits on functional visual field testing. The goal of glaucoma treatment is to reduce the intraocular pressure to a level that prevents or minimizes the progressive loss of vision. The current standard of management for the newly diagnosed primary open angle glaucoma (PAOG) patient is to start topical medication.