Risk factors for progression of visual field defects in medically treated patients with glaucoma.

A multivariate discriminant analysis of potential risk factors for the progression of visual field defects was performed in 70 patients with chronic open-angle or low-tension glaucoma. Male sex, low diastolic blood pressure and diabetes mellitus were found to be significant risk factors. When the patients with low-tension glaucoma were excluded, a high mean intraocular pressure was identified as a risk factor. It was concluded that there is no reliable way to predict future visual field loss in patients with glaucoma.