Risk factors for glaucoma are reflected in abnormal responses to frequency-doubling technology screening in both normal and glaucoma eyes

Abstract

The frequency-doubling technology (FDT) screening test (FDT-C-20-1) has adopted in many recent population-based glaucoma surveys, but factors associated with false-positive (FP) responses to FDT-C-20-1 in normal eyes and false-negative (FN) responses in glaucoma eyes were not known. These factors were investigated in a population-based setting using the data from 3805 normal eyes (2381 subjects) and 272 eyes with definite glaucoma (215 subjects) in the Kumejima Study participants with reliable FDT-C-20-1 results. Considering the presence of at least one abnormal test point (P < 0.01) as abnormal, the specificity and sensitivity of FDT-C-20-1 for glaucoma were 91.8% (95% confidence interval, 91.1 ~ 92.5) and 56.3% (47.0 ~ 62.5), respectively. Multivariate linear mixed-model logistic regression analysis showed correlations with older age, worse visual acuity, greater β-peripapillary area (P < 0.001 for all comparisons) and more myopic refraction (P = 0.030) with the FP responses in normal eyes, and normal-tension glaucoma (P = 0.043), a better mean deviation value of Humphrey perimetry (P = 0.001), larger rim area (P = 0.041), and absence of disc hemorrhage (P = 0.015) with the FN responses in glaucoma eyes. In a population-based setting, abnormal responses to FDT-C-20-1 indicate the presence of a risk factor for glaucoma in normal eyes and risk factors for more rapid progression in glaucoma eyes.