PURPOSE: To test the ability of the scanning laser polarimetry to discriminate between normal and glaucomatous eyes. METHODS: One-hundred and twelve patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and 88 normal individuals were enrolled in the study. All individuals underwent a complete ophthalmic evaluation, a 24-2 full threshold Humphrey visual field and a GDx examination. Cutoff points were selected, ROC curves were created, and the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) were calculated for each individual GDx parameter. Finally, a multivariate logistic analysis was developed in order to achieve a better Se/Sp ratio for the diagnosis of glaucoma. RESULTS: The best GDx individual parameters were: the number (Se: 79.5%%, Sp: 81.8%, area under the ROC curve: 0.870), maximum modulation (Se: 83.0%, Sp: 76.1%, area under the ROC curve: 0.842) and ellipse modulation (Se: 65.2%, Sp: 88.6%). The multivariate logistic analysis resulted in an area under the ROC curve of 0.920 (Se: 85.7%, Sp: 90.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of 2 or more parameters in a multivariate logistic analysis increases the ability of scanning laser polarimetry to discriminate between normal and glaucomatous eyes.
Optic disk; Glaucoma; Lasers; Diagnostic techniques, ophthalmological
