This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Short-term dark adaptation may be more reliable in identifying primary angle-closure suspects
J Glaucoma. 2011;20(6):331-335.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Assessment of the anterior chamber angle configuration may be more reliable if performed after a short-term dark adaptation of 3 minutes, a study found.
Outcomes suggested that the pupil was more reactive to the dim examination light of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) after 1.5 hours of dark adaptation, with the mean pupil diameter shown to be smaller after this long-term adaptation than in light room conditions.
"This increased sensitivity of the pupil reaction to dim light after a prolonged dark adaptation can reopen the anterior chamber angle during the AS-OCT examination and can result in an underestimation of the extent of an earlier appositional angle closure under the dark adaptation conditions," the study authors wrote.
The observation analysis included 70 primary angle-closure glaucoma suspects and 40 control subjects. In the glaucoma suspect group, the mean number of closed angle segments was significantly higher at 3 minutes of dark adaptation than at room light conditions or at 1.5 hours (P < .001). No statistically significant difference was demonstrated between room light and long-term dark adaptation values.
Moreover, for the glaucoma suspects, pupil diameter was significantly associated with the number of closed angle segments at 3 minutes (P < .01) but not at 1.5 hours. The dark room test was positive in more eyes at 3 minutes than at 1.5 hours (63% vs. 44%; P < .05) based on a higher number of closed angle segments.