Recovery of reliability by retest after a 5-minute interval in frequency doubling technology perimetry.

Purpose: In frequency doubling technology (FDT) perimetry, the incidence of tests classified as unreliable is higher in the second-tested left eye than in the first-tested right eye when perimetry is performed without a rest period. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the incidence of unreliable results was reduced when the retest began after a 5-min rest period.

Methods: The subjects were 978 residents of Miyoshi City, Japan, who underwent FDT perimetry during a medical checkup. FDT perimetry was always performed first on the right eye and then on the left eye without a rest interval. When the results were determined to be unreliable, FDT perimetry was repeated after a 5-min rest interval.

Results: The perimetric results were determined to be unreliable in one eye of 119 subjects; the results of the first-tested right eye were unreliable in 24 (20.2%), and the results of the second-tested left eye were unreliable in 95 (79.8%) subjects. This difference in the incidence of reliability was significant (P<0.001). After a 5-min rest interval, the percentage of eyes with reliable results recovered to 92% of the right eyes and to 86% of the left eyes.

Conclusions: The incidence of unreliable results in FDT perimetry of the second-tested left eye was higher than that of the first-tested right eye when tests were performed without a rest interval. However, the incidence of unreliability in the eye was decreased when the retest was performed after a 5-min rest interval.