Test-retest variability in glaucomatous visual fields.

We measured test-retest variations in computerized visual fields from glaucomatous eyes. Fifty-one patients were tested four times within a four-week period; the severity of disease varied from incipient to advanced. We determined the dependence of threshold variability on defect depth and test point location. In areas of the visual field initially found to have moderate loss of sensitivity, variation in follow-up measurements ranged from normal sensitivity to absolute defect, with little dependence on distance from fixation. Conversely, large changes were considerably more unusual in locations initially showing normal or near-normal sensitivities, and variability was lowest in the most central portion of the field. Our findings suggest that differentiation between true progression and random variation will be facilitated if these factors are taken into account, as well as if comparisons are based on more than two tests. The complex nature of interest variation in glaucoma makes it natural to approach this problem with the help of computer-assisted analyses.