The optic disc hemifield test.

Purpose: To evaluate whether an optic disc hemifield test comparing the superior half of the optic disc with the inferior disc half is useful for glaucoma diagnosis.

Methods: The clinical observational study included 1268 patients with primary or secondary open-angle glaucoma and 649 normal subjects. The glaucoma group was divided into 1118 patients with glaucomatous visual field defects ("perimetric glaucoma"), and 150 patients with optic nerve head changes and normal visual fields ("preperimetric glaucoma"). Color stereo optic disc photographs were morphometrically evaluated. The optic disc area was divided into four sectors: temporal horizontal (60 degrees), superotemporal (90 degrees), inferotemporal (90 degrees), and nasal (120 degrees). Area and width of the neuroretinal rim were measured, and the ratio of superotemporal-to-inferotemporal rim area, the ratio of superior (12 o'clock)-to-inferior (6 o'clock) rim width, the difference of inferotemporal minus superotemporal rim area, and the difference of inferior rim width minus superior rim width were calculated.

Results: For the differentiation between the normal group and the whole glaucoma group, and for the differentiation between the normal group and the preperimetric glaucoma group, respectively, areas under the ROC curves were significantly smaller for the parameters of the optic disc hemifield test (superior-to-inferior rim width ratio: 0.448 and 0.412, respectively; and superotemporal-to-inferotemporal rim area ratio: 0.395 and 0.434, respectively) than for any other rim parameter tested such as inferotemporal rim area (0.827 and 0.745, reps.), total rim area (0.814 and 0.741, respectively), and superotemporal rim area (0.781 and 0.705, respectively).

Discussion: An optic disc hemifield test with the parameters superior-to-inferior rim width ratio and superotemporal-to-inferotemporal rim area ratio is not markedly helpful for the morphometric diagnosis of glaucomatous optic nerve damage, either in the preperimetric stage or in the perimetric stage of the disease.