The use of psychophysical, structural, and electrodiagnostic parameters to identify glaucomatous damage.

Fifty-one patients with early glaucoma and 29 patients without the disease had their contrast sensitivity, colour vision, differential light threshold, neuroretinal rim area, retinal nerve fibre layer, pattern-reversal electrogram and visually evoked potential examined. A stepwise discriminant analysis found that the combination of the vertical cup disc ratio, the diffuse nerve fibre layer score and the localized nerve fibre layer score correctly identified 98% of the normals and 84% of the glaucoma patients. Single parameters and various combinations of parameters were also examined for their ability to discriminate between the two groups. Fifty-two glaucoma suspects were similarly examined and were classified into those whose discriminant functions were normal or abnormal.