Background and objective: Correlation between polarimetric retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured with variable corneal compensation and retinal sensitivity measured with frequency-doubling technology (FDT) and standard automated perimetry (SAP) was investigated.
Patients and methods: Twenty-four consecutive patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma and 17 healthy control subjects (1 randomly selected eye for each subject) were evaluated.
Results: For all subjects, quadrant scanning laser polarimetry parameters correlated positively with both FDT and SAP mean sensitivity of the opposite hemifield (P< .001). Global scanning laser polarimetry parameters correlated positively with FDT-mean sensitivity, SAP-mean sensitivity, and FDT-mean deviation, and negatively with SAP-mean deviation (in SAP, mean deviation is positive in case of sensitivity loss) (P < or = .02). The nerve fiber indicator also correlated with FDT-pattern standard deviation and SAP-corrected loss variance (P < or = .01). Using un-logged sensitivity values, no further correlations were found.
Conclusion: Our results show that a similar structure-function relationship exists between polarimetric retinal nerve fiber layer thickness determined with variable corneal compensation and retinal sensitivity measured with SAP and FDT.