Aqueous Flare and Progression of Visual Field Loss in Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa

PURPOSE. To investigate the association between aqueous flare and progression of visual field loss using the Humphrey Field Analyzer in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). METHODS. We examined a total of 101 eyes of 101 patients who were diagnosed with typical RP. Sixty-one percent of the patients were female, and the mean age of the total group was 47.4 years. Aqueous flare, visual field (by an Humphrey Field Analyzer, the central 10-2 SITA-Standard program), and optical coherence tomography measurements were obtained for all patients. The slope, which was derived from serial values of mean deviation, macular sensitivity, or foveal sensitivity for each eye with univariate linear regression, was used for analysis. RESULTS. Aqueous flare values were significantly correlated with the mean deviation slope (r = -0.20, P = 0.046), macular sensitivity slope (r = -0.28, P = 0.005) and foveal sensitivity slope (r = -0.20, P = 0.047). The values of the retinal sensitivity slope significantly decreased as the aqueous flare level increased (all P < 0.05). These associations remained unchanged after adjustment for age, sex, and posterior subcapsular cataract, and epiretinal membrane. CONCLUSIONS. Elevation of aqueous flare is a risk factor for the decline of central visual function in RP. Aqueous flare may be a useful marker for disease progression in RP.