[Initial findings with pulsar perimetry in patients with ocular hypertension].

Purpose: To evaluate our first results with Pulsar perimetry in patients with ocular hypertension and compare them with normal individuals.

Methods: We studied 34 eyes of patients with ocular hypertension and normal G1 Octopus perimetry (mean age: 57.29 S.D. 10.55) and 41 eyes of normal individuals (mean age: 48.34 S.D. 13.71). A complete ophthalmologic examination, including Dr. González de la Rosa's Pulsar perimetry with TOP strategy, was performed for all patients.

Exclusion Criteria: visual acuity <0.8, refractive defect 3 spheric dp or 1.5 astigmatic dp, pupil size <3 mm, ocular surgery or pathologies, non-controlled diabetes or neurological diseases. They all had previous perimetric experience. Results were analyzed with student t - test.

Results: For normal individuals, mean sensitivity (MS) for Pulsar perimetry was 21,25 src (spatial resolution and contrast units) with an S.D. of 2,70. Mean defect (MD) was 0,93 src S.D. 1,80 and loss variance (LV) was 6,11 src S.D. 4,30. For patients with ocular hypertension: MS was 18,65 src S.D. 2,79; MD was 2,73 src S.D. 2,30 and LV was 8,46 src S.D. 5,01. LV differences between the two groups were statistically significant (p<0.05) with 95% confidence limits of (-4.49; -0.20), and MS and MD differences, highly significant (p<0.01), with 99% confidence limits of (+0.92; +4.28;) and (-3.05; -0.54) respectively.

Conclusions: Pulsar perimetry may have greater sensibility for the detection of early defects in patients with ocular hypertension than conventional perimetry.