Improving the sensitivity of the OKP visual field screening test with a blue stimulus on a dark background

• Published in: Eye (London) Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 620 - 625
• Main Authors: WESSELS, I. F, RANDHAWA, R. S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing Group 01.01.1996
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Female; Glaucoma - complications; Humans; Investigative techniques of ocular function and vision; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Sensitivity and Specificity; Vision Disorders - etiology; Visual Field Tests - methods; Human; Eye disease; Sensitivity; Specificity; Glaucoma (eye); Kinetic perimetry; Adult; Medical screening
• ISSN: 0950-222X; 1476-5454
• DOI: 10.1038/eye.1996.141

The standard oculokinetic perimetry test (OKP) was modified to present a light blue stimulus on a dark background (MOKP) to determine whether the sensitivity and specificity for detecting glaucomatous visual field loss could be improved. Thirty-five adult glaucoma patients (70 eyes) self-administered both tests and the results were correlated with the loss of retinal sensitivity on the Octopus IV program 38. The MOKP detected 18% more true scotomatous loci (more than 15 dB loss of attenuation) than the standard OKP (p < 0.0001). The gain was due to 37% fewer false negatives (p < 0.0001), but with a doubling of the false positives rate (p < 0.049). With a disease prevalence of approximately 2%, the MOKP and OKP would respectively miss 15% or 30%, and include 14 or 9 normals for each diseased individual. This relatively simple modification may further improve the OKP for detecting glaucoma.