Comparative study of retinal nerve fiber layer loss in normal-tension glaucoma and chronic open-angle glaucoma

Purpose: To clarify whether loss of the retinal nerve fiber layer in normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) differs from that in chronic open-angle glaucoma (COAG). Methods: Using a scanning laser polarimeter, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) was measured in 21 patients with NTG, 21 patients with COAG and 21 normal controls. The three groups were matched for age, and the NTG and COAG groups were matched for visual field loss. Results: The mean RNFLT was significantly less in the NTG than in the control group and less in the COAG than in the controls and NTG group. Although the correlations between the parameters of RNFLT and homotopic visual field measurements were significant in COAG, none of the correlations were significant in NTG. Conclusions: The present results suggest that loss of the retinal nerve fiber layer in NTG differs from that in COAG. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.