Stereo photos are considered the gold standard in optic disc assessment, but the use of monoscopic cameras in glaucoma has been increasing due to their portability, lower cost and non-mydriatic capabilities. A recent study comparing the two confirmed that stereoscopic cameras are more useful for glaucoma screening and diagnosis.

The researchers included 379 eyes of 206 participants who had images of at least one eye taken with the two cameras. They classified participants as meeting the glaucoma threshold if their vertical cup-to-disc ratio estimate was greater than the 97.5^th percentile (>0.725). Sixteen eyes met this criteria.

The two cameras disagreed on glaucoma threshold in 14 of the 16 eyes (87.5%). The monoscopic camera’s sensitivity was lower at 14.3%.

The investigators concluded that this low sensitivity of monoscopic cameras means that stereoscopic cameras have more utility in diagnosing glaucoma.