Contrast sensitivity in early glaucoma: effects of lighting level and eccentricity

Abstract

Since glaucoma is one of the worldwide leading causes of irreversible blindness, is important to develop tools for
early detection. In this work, we explored the ability of the contrast sensitivity (CS) to early detect open-angle
glaucoma. We measured CS in patients with mild glaucoma, at two age ranges (20-49 and 50-69 y.o.) and for two
light levels. Foveal measurements were carried out at photopic level (70 cd/m2) for 4 c/d and 8 c/d; a significant
reduction of the CS in patients respect to the control group (p < 0.05) was found at 4 c/d, for both age ranges. At
mesopic light level (0.5 cd/m2) foveal measurements were conducted for 4 c/d and extrafoveal (retinal
eccentricity: 8°) for 2 c/d. At this light level, a significant reduction of CS (p < 0.05) was found for the oldest
group with foveal conditions. In certain conditions, the measurement of CS could be useful for glaucoma
detection at early stage.