Abstract

P 157

Increased optic disc area as a possible source of selection bias leading to assessment by Heidelberg-Retina-Tomography (HRT) in young patients

Schafia A., Jonescu-Cuypers C., Löw U., Seitz B.
Department of Ophthalmology, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar

Objective: In this cross-sectional study of HRT measurements we examined if the mean optic disc area (ODA) differed in a group of young versus old patients taken from a cohort of glaucoma clinic outpatients and if an increased ODA would possibly make further HRT assessment more likely.
Methods: HRT measurements of ODA and Cup-Disc-Ratio (CDR) from two groups taken from a cohort of patients with glaucoma or suspected glaucoma were examined. Assessment of the Optic Disc by HRT occurred once in each patient (cross-sectional study).
Group A: N=100 patients aged 26 years or below. Group B: N=887 patients aged 27 years or above. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 11.0.
Results: Group A: mean age 17.1(±5.56) years, mean measured ODA 2.28(±0.34) mm² and mean CDR 0.34(±0.18). In this group a correlation was neither found between age and ODA(R=0.01) nor between age and CDR(R=0.039).
Group B: mean age 54.9(±14.10) years, mean measured ODA 2.19(±0.66) mm² and mean CDR 0.37(±0.23). In this group a correlation was neither found between age and ODA(R=0.01) nor between age and CDR(R=0.036).
Mean ODA in group A was found to be significantly larger than mean ODA in group B (p<0.04).
Conclusions: Mean optic disc area was found to be significantly larger in younger patients than in older patients. This could indicate a possible selection bias in younger patients with larger optic discs towards more frequently considering the necessity of further HRT assessment. Another finding indicating the larger ODA as a source of possible bias is that the mean CDR found in the younger patients tended to be smaller than the mean ODA of the older patients.

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