Cognitive decline linked to visual field variability

(HealthDay)—For patients diagnosed as having glaucoma or glaucoma suspects, cognitive decline is associated with increased visual field variability, according to a study published online May 18 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Alberto Diniz-Filho, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of California-San Diego in La Jolla, and colleagues examined the correlation between global neurocognitive impairment and visual field variability in a prospective observational cohort study. Data were included for 211 eyes of 115 patients followed for a mean of 2.5 years.

The researchers found that change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) correlated with visual field variability over time. A 5-point decrease in MoCA score correlated with an 0.18 dB increase in the standard deviation (SD) of residuals of standard automated perimetry (SAP) mean deviation (MD), in a univariate model. There was a correlation for each 5-point decrease in MoCA score with an increase of 0.23 dB in the SD of residuals of SAP MD, after adjustment for baseline MoCA score, mean SAP MD, age, sex, race/ethnicity, educational level, income, and number of SAP tests.

"These findings suggest that screening and monitoring of cognitive dysfunction may be important in the assessment of visual field progression in the context of glaucoma," the authors write.