Evaluation of Visual Fields by Ophthalmologists and by OCTOSMART Program

Abstract

The introduction of Goldmann perimetry standardized measuring conditions as much as possible. In spite of this, it had been possible for the perimetrist to influence the results of perimeter measurements. The introduction of computer-controlled perimetry, however, has largely eliminated the influence of the investigator on perimetry results. Nevertheless, the interpretation of a perimetric result in the everyday clinical situation is still extensively subjectively coloured and is liable to vary, depending on the doctor carrying it out. The OCTOPUS Programm G1 was introduced a few years ago and used above all for glaucoma. This program greatly simplified visual field assessement thanks to its visual field indices. The indices make it possible to compare visual field results with those of a normal population. The present introduction of the OCTOSMART program represents a further step forward. This program analyses measured visual fields with the aid of standardized, statistical criteria based on a large, normal value study. This analysis standardizes and thereby simplifies the interpretation of visual field results. This study compares the outcome of the OCTOSMART program with visual field interpretations by eye doctors.