Humphrey vs. Compass: A Comparative Study of Two Perimetry Devices.

BACKGROUND

Visual field testing is essential for glaucoma diagnostics; however, patient cooperation can affect the reliability of the results. The COMPASS perimeter (COM; CentreVue-iCare, Padua, Italy) offers an innovative approach to enhance test quality by compensating for fixation losses and automatically adjusting light stimuli. Additionally, it enables simultaneous fundus photography during perimetry. In this prospective study, we compare the COM perimeter with the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) in glaucoma patients and healthy subjects in terms of visual field parameters, reproducibility, and patient satisfaction. The aim is to evaluate the clinical applicability and potential added value of the COM perimeter.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

113 eyes (67 glaucoma, 46 healthy) were tested using both COM (24 - 2 ZEST) and HFA (24 - 2 SITA-Standard). Mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), test duration (TD), and subjective patient experiences were recorded. Reproducibility was assessed by analysing repeated measurements in ten healthy subjects.

RESULTS

In the overall cohort, the COM measured a mean deviation (MD) of - 2.8 ± 5.7 dB and a pattern standard deviation (PSD) of 4.3 ± 3.5 dB. In comparison, the HFA showed an MD of - 4.4 ± 5.6 dB and a PSD of 3.2 ± 3.1 dB. The average test duration was 412 ± 94 seconds for COM and 341 ± 72 seconds for HFA. Subjective patient satisfaction was significantly higher with COM (p < 0.00 001) than with HFA. Both tests demonstrated high reproducibility with no significant differences in repeated measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

The COM perimeter and the HFA Field Analyser demonstrated significant differences in the parameters MD, PSD, and test duration. Higher patient satisfaction and potentially better diagnostic specificity suggest that COM is a promising method for detecting visual field defects in glaucoma patients. The observed higher specificity of the COM perimeter may be attributed to its integrated eye-tracking system. The use and further refinement of this technology could enable greater precision in glaucoma diagnostics in clinical practice.