Relationship between macular vessel density and central visual field sensitivity at different glaucoma stages

Aims To evaluate the relationship between macular vessel density (mVD) and central visual field sensitivity (cVFS) at different stages of glaucoma and to compare this relationship with that between the thickness of the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPLT) and cVFS. Methods The mVD and mGCIPLT were measured by optical coherence tomography angiography in 139 patients with glaucoma. The cVFS was defined as the average of 12 central points on 24-2 visual field (VF) testing. Vasculature-function and structure-function relationships were analysed by comparing mVD and mGCIPLT with cVFS in eyes with early and moderate-to-advanced glaucoma. Results Global and regional mVD-cVFS associations were statistically significant in eyes with moderate-to-advanced (all p<0.05), but not early stage (all p>0.05) glaucoma. The global association between average mVD and cVFS was significantly stronger than that between average mGCIPLT and cVFS in eyes with moderate-to-advanced glaucoma (p=0.049). Reduced mVD was independently associated with cVFS loss after adjusting for age and mGCIPLT in eyes with moderate-to-advanced glaucoma. Conclusions The macular vasculature-function relationship using mVD was stronger than the structure-function relationship using mGCIPLT in eyes with moderate-to-advanced glaucoma. The mVD may be useful in monitoring cVFS in advanced glaucoma.