Deterioration of visual fields in patients with glaucoma with and without optic disc hemorrhages.

Objective: To evaluate visual field deterioration in patients with glaucoma with and without optic disc hemorrhages (DHs).

Design: A prospective study at quarterly base involving annual perimetry; mean follow-up of 9 years.

Setting: Outpatient department, nonreferral basis.

Patients: Sixty-eight patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, 34 with normal pressure glaucoma (NPG), and 125 with ocular hypertension.

Results: Visual field deterioration occurred in 32%, 32%, and 6% of the patients without DHs who had NPG, primary open-angle glaucoma, or ocular hypertension, respectively, while visual field deterioration occurred in 80%, 89%, and 14% of patients with DH, respectively. Cox proportional hazards ratio(CHR) for deterioration in patients with vs patients without DHs was 5.4 for NPG (P<.01) and 3.6 for primary open-angle glaucoma (P<.01). In patients with NPG and DHs, ipsilateral eyes with DHs deteriorated in 58%, while contralateral eyes without DHs deteriorated in 11% (CHR, 8.9; P<.04). For primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension, progression did not differ between eyes with DHs and contralateral eyes without DHs. Mean (+/-SD) interval between DHs and ipsilateral visual field deterioration was 3.1+/-1.7 years. No difference in the proportion of eyes progressing after single or recurrent DHs was noted. The position of DHs was related to the site of the visual field loss in 44% of the eyes.

Conclusions: The presence of DHs increased the risk of visual field deterioration. Disc hemorrhages were indicative only of deterioration in ipsilateral eyes in patients with NPG.