An Examination of the Frequency of Paravascular Defects and Epiretinal Membranes in Eyes With Early Glaucoma Using En-face Slab OCT Images

Purpose: To examine the frequency of paravascular defects (PDs) and macular epiretinal membranes (ERMs) in eyes categorized as having mild glaucoma or glaucoma suspect using en-face slab analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans. Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven glaucomatous eyes, 44 low-risk suspect eyes, and 101 healthy control eyes were included in the study. The 101 glaucomatous and suspect eyes had a mean deviation better than -6 dB on the 24-2 visual field, and a spherical refractive error between +/- 6 D or axial length Results: Glaucomatous eyes had a significantly higher number of PDs and ERMs than healthy controls (PD, P<0.001; ERM, P=0.046) and low-risk glaucoma suspects (PD, P=0.004; ERM, P=0.043). PDs and/or ERMs were present in 16 of 57 (28.1%) glaucomatous eyes, 2 of 44 (4.5%) suspect eyes, and 3 of 101 (3.0%) control eyes. Further, PDs were present in 11 of the 57 (19.3%) glaucomatous eyes, 1 of the 44 (2.3%) suspect eyes and 0 of the 101 (0%) control eyes, ERMs were seen in 7 of the 57 (12.3%) glaucomatous eyes, 1 of the 44 (2.3%) suspects, and 3 of the 101 (3.0%) control eyes. Conclusions: Eyes with early glaucoma have a higher frequency of PDs and ERMs than suspects or controls and exhibit PDs even in the absence of ERMs or high myopia.