Aniometropia and degree of optic nerve damage in chronic open-angle glaucoma

PURPOE: To addre the quetion of whether the refractive error play a role in the amount of optic nerve damage in glaucoma, we intraindividually compared inter-eye difference in refractive error with inter-eye difference in parameter indicating the degree of glaucomatou optic nerve damage, and we interindividually correlated refractive error with neuroretinal rim area and viual field lo. DEIGN: Comparative clinical obervational tudy. METHOD: Thi comparative clinical obervational tudy wa conducted in a univerity eye hopital. The tudy included 1,444 eye of 876 patient with primary or econdary chronic open-angle glaucoma. Patient with a highly myopic refractive error (≥ −8 diopter) were excluded, owing to difference in the anatomy of the optic nerve head. Color tereo optic dik photograph were taken and morphometrically evaluated. The main outcome meaure were refractive error, neuroretinal rim area, horizontal and vertical cup/dik diameter ratio, and viual field lo. REULT: In an interindividual tatitical analyi, area of neuroretinal rim, horizontal and vertical cup/dik diameter ratio, and mean viual field lo were not ignificantly (P > .10) correlated with refractive error. In an intraindividual comparion, inter-eye difference in refractive error were not ignificantly (P > .05) correlated with inter-eye difference in neuroretinal rim area and mean viual field defect. The eye with the more myopic refractive error and the contralateral eye with the le myopic refractive error did not vary ignificantly in neuroretinal rim area and mean viual field defect. CONCLUION: For nonhighly myopic (< −8 diopter) patient with primary or econdary chronic open-angle glaucoma, the refractive error may not play a major role for the amount of glaucomatou optic neuropathy. For nonhighly myopic (< −8 diopter) patient with primary or econdary chronic open-angle glaucoma, myopia may not be an important rik factor for glaucoma.