Evaluation of corrected loss variance as a visual field index. I. CLV exceeds RMS in discriminating between glaucoma-suspect patients with no loss of visual sensitivity and normal observers.

Octopus visual fields were compared for three groups of patients: (1) diagnosed glaucoma patients; (2) glaucoma-suspect patients, and (3) control observers. Four visual field indices were analyzed for each visual field: mean sensitivity, short-term fluctuation (root mean square), mean defect, and corrected loss variance. Among the four indices, corrected loss variance was the only index that discriminated the glaucoma-suspect group from the control group, while, as expected, the glaucoma group differed from the other two study groups for all four indices. These data support the view that corrected loss variance may provide highly sensitive information on which to base an early clinical diagnosis of glaucoma in patients who do not demonstrate traditional field loss.