Heidar Amini, Alireza Khodabande, Sasan Moghimi, Yadollah Eslami, Reza Zareii, Ghasem Fakhraii
Farabi Eye Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Sciences/Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

Aim: To evaluate quantitatively the intraobserver reproducibility of retinal nerve fibre layer measurements using scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation in glaucoma suspects.
Methods: Twenty six eyes of 26 glaucoma suspects were enrolled in the study. Complete ophthalmologic examination and automated perimetry were performed for all patients. Retinal nerve fibre layer measurements were done using scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation by an experienced operator. The test was repeated immediately by the same operator. Reproducibility of the retinal nerve fibre layer
measurements was assessed using the coefficient of variation.
Results: Patients were aged from 24 to 70 years (mean, 55.9 years; SD, 11.5 years). There were 20 women and 6 men. Eighteen patients had ocular hypertension and 8 patients had large cup-disc ratios. No patients had glaucomatous field defects. The mean coefficients of variation for measurements of temporal superior nasal inferior temporal average, superior average, inferior average, temporal superior nasal inferior temporal SD, and nerve fibre indicator were 0.77, 0.95, 0.91, 0.81, and 0.98, respectively. The mean coefficient of variation of scanning laser polarimetry for the 5 main parameters was 88.4.
Conclusion: Scanning laser polarimetry showed a good test-retest correlation and acceptable intraobserver reproducibility. Nerve fibre indicator may be the most reproducible scanning laser polarimetry parameter for glaucoma suspects.

Key words: Glaucoma, Reproducibility of results, Scanning laser polarimetry

Asian J Ophthalmol. 2007;9:167-170.