Perimetry is a standard part of assessing glaucomatous visual field (VF) loss, but using only 24-2 or only 10-2 isn’t sufficient to cover all the possible types of defects. A recent study investigated the combined use of these two VF tests and found more satisfactory visual outcomes.

The study evaluated the tests when conducted together and separately on a cohort of glaucoma patients with isolated peripheral nasal step (n=30), isolated paracentral scotoma (n=37) and both paracentral and nasal scotoma (n=38). The researchers built a combined Humphrey VF test with built-in custom point options for the X, Y coordinate system.

For the glaucoma patients with peripheral nasal step, combined VF testing and 24-2 perimetry were significantly superior to the 10-2 test regarding the superotemporal topographic structure-function relationship with peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. The combined VF test also demonstrated “more favorable inferotemporal or inferonasal structure-function correlation with the corresponding ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness when compared with results gleaned using the 24-2 VF test.”

The researchers concluded that performing both 24-2 and 10-2 VF tests simultaneously will result in superior detection than performing them separately in some sectors. Typically, both tests are not performed in the clinic since they take a considerable amount of time. But as these studies show, the pros outweigh the cons.