Evaluating Silent Reading Performance with an Eye Tracking System in Patients with Glaucoma.

To investigate the relationship between silent reading performance and visual field defects in patients with glaucoma using an eye tracking system.Fifty glaucoma patients (Group G; mean age, 52.2 years, standard deviation: 11.4 years) and 20 normal controls (Group N; mean age, 46.9 years; standard deviation: 17.2 years) were included in the study. All participants in Group G had early to advanced glaucomatous visual field defects but better than 20/20 visual acuity in both eyes. Participants silently read Japanese articles written horizontally while the eye tracking system monitored and calculated reading duration per 100 characters, number of fixations per 100 characters, and mean fixation duration, which were compared with mean deviation and visual field index values from Humphrey visual field testing (24-2 and 10-2 Swedish interactive threshold algorithm standard) of the right versus left eye and the better versus worse eye.There was a statistically significant difference between Groups G and N in mean fixation duration (G, 233.4 msec; N, 215.7 msec; P = 0.010). Within Group G, significant correlations were observed between reading duration and 24-2 right mean deviation (rs = -0.280, P = 0.049), 24-2 right visual field index (rs = -0.306, P = 0.030), 24-2 worse visual field index (rs = -0.304, P = 0.032), and 10-2 worse mean deviation (rs = -0.326, P = 0.025). Significant correlations were observed between mean fixation duration and 10-2 left mean deviation (rs = -0.294, P = 0.045) and 10-2 worse mean deviation (rs = -0.306, P = 0.037), respectively.The severity of visual field defects may influence some aspects of reading performance. At least concerning silent reading, the visual field of the worse eye is an essential element of smoothness of reading

Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients comparing reading parameters and visual field defects.

<p>Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients comparing reading parameters and visual field defects.</p

A participant’s gaze pattern during the reading experiment.

<p>The articles contain both Japanese syllabary (<i>Hiragana</i>) and Chinese characters (<i>Kanji</i>). A participant reads sentences in a horizontal direction from left to right. The size of the circle corresponds to the fixation duration. The number in the circle is the rank of fixation. The lines represent saccades.</p

Demographic characteristics and reading parameters in healthy controls and patients with glaucoma.

<p>Demographic characteristics and reading parameters in healthy controls and patients with glaucoma.</p

MD and VFI scores of patients with glaucoma.

<p>MD and VFI scores of patients with glaucoma.</p

Clinical Features of Patients with Exfoliation Glaucoma Requiring Surgical Intervention

Purpose. To clarify the clinical features of patients with exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) requiring surgical intervention. Study Design. Retrospective study. Methods. The study included 46 eyes from 36 XFG patients, 85 eyes from 53 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients, and 54 eyes from 35 normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) patients. Age, duration of previous glaucoma treatment, intraocular pressure, medication scores, visual function, and surgical procedure were compared among the three patient groups. Results. The XFG group had the highest mean age (XFG: 75.7 ± 8.3 years, POAG: 65.8 ± 12.8 years, and NTG: 53.3 ± 12.8 years; p<0.001) and the shortest mean duration of previous treatment with glaucoma medication (XFG: 5.1 ± 3.5 years, POAG: 8.9 ± 6.9 years, and NTG: 8.9 ± 5.9 years; p<0.001). Intraocular pressure and medication scores were slightly higher in the XFG group than in the POAG group, although the differences were not significant. Among XFG patients, trabeculectomy was performed in 20 eyes from 16 patients (55.6%) and trabeculotomy was performed in 16 eyes from 14 patients (44.4%). Both trabeculectomy (3 eyes) and trabeculotomy (14 eyes) were performed in combination with cataract surgery. Conclusions. The XFG patients referred to our department for initial examination were older than the POAG and NTG patients, and their duration of treatment before referral was shorter. Moreover, intraocular pressure and the eye drop medication score were higher in the XFG patients. A significantly higher percentage of XFG patients required surgical intervention compared to patients with other disease types

Evaluation of the New Digital Goldmann Applanation Tonometer for Measuring Intraocular Pressure

Purpose. To compare a new digital Goldmann applanation tonometer (dGAT) that measures intraocular pressure (IOP) in 0.1 mmHg increments to a standard Goldmann applanation tonometer (sGAT). Methods. This study included 116 eyes of 60 subjects. A single examiner first measured IOP in triplicate using either sGAT or dGAT, which was randomly chosen. After a 5-minute interval, the next set of three consecutive IOP was measured using the other GAT. Results. The mean IOP measured with sGAT was 16.27 ± 6.68 mmHg and 16.35 ± 6.69 mmHg with dGAT. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.998 (P<0.01). The subjects were divided into three groups based on the mean IOP: IOP < 14 mmHg, 14–20 mmHg, or >20 mmHg. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient within each group was 0.935, 0.972, and 0.997 (P<0.01), respectively. The difference within the three consecutive IOP measurements (maximum–minimum) for dGAT (0.72 ± 0.34 mmHg) was significantly smaller than those with sGAT (0.92 ± 0.42 mmHg, P<0.01). Even in patients with equal IOP (zero left-right difference) with sGAT (n=30), dGAT detected IOP differences between the left and right eyes (0.47 ± 0.31 mmHg). Conclusion. Compared to sGAT, dGAT measurements are highly reproducible and less variable