Relationship of Choroidal Microvasculature Dropout and Beta Zone Parapapillary Area With Visual Field Changes in Glaucoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between rates of choroidal microvasculature dropout (MvD) change, beta zone parapapillary atrophy (β-PPA) area change, and visual field (VF) changes in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Design: Retrospective, observational cohort study.

Methods: In a tertiary glaucoma clinic, we included 76 eyes from 58 patients with POAG with and without localized MvD, who had ≥2 years of follow-up with a minimum of 4 visits with optical coherence tomography angiography and optical coherence tomography scans. β-PPA area was evaluated using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy-like images and compared with the area of MvD on an en face choroidal vessel density map during the follow-up period. Joint longitudinal mixed effects models were used to estimate the rates of change in β-PPA area or MvD area and VF mean deviation (MD).

Results: Mean rates of change in β-PPA and MvD area were 0.037 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.030-0.043 mm) per year and 0.039 mm (95% CI 0.029-0.048 mm) per year, respectively, over the mean follow-up of 4.1 years. In multivariable models, MvD area enlargement was significantly associated with faster rates of VF MD loss (0.03 mm [95% CI 0.02-0.04 mm] per 1-dB worse, P < .001) but not β-PPA area enlargement (0.04 mm [95% CI 0.03-0.05 mm] per 1-dB worse, P = .252).

Conclusion: MvD area rates, but not β-PPA area rates, were associated with VF MD loss changes in eyes with POAG. Assessment of MvD is useful for the detection of patients with glaucoma who are at an increased risk of faster VF loss.