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Computer program may more accurately identify glaucomatous disc changes than hand-held stereo viewer
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Researchers were able to more accurately identify progression or non-progression of glaucomatous optic discs using a computer program instead of manually examining stereoscopic disc photographs, according to a study.
The prospective evaluation included two resident ophthalmologists and one glaucoma fellow who evaluated 140 image pairs from 100 glaucomatous or ocular hypertensive patient eyes using the computerized MatchedFlicker software program (EyeIC) and a traditional hand-held stereo viewer.
The study included 50 slides of progression to glaucoma and 50 slides that served as controls with no progression. Twenty slides from each group were duplicated to assess variability in detecting progression.
Researchers using the software program correctly identified progression or non-progression in 87.6% of the slide pairs. Researchers using the hand-held stereo viewer correctly identified 76% of the slide pairs. The difference between the two methods was statistically significant (P = .011).
Additionally, researchers using MatchedFlicker performed the task more quickly (24.9 seconds) than those using the hand-held stereo viewer (34.1 seconds) (P= .044).
“Our study with ophthalmologists-in-training demonstrated that the use of MatchedFlicker software is comparable or even better in accuracy than the traditional methods of stereo image optic disc viewing and was faster to perform,” the study authors wrote. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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Schaefer JL, et al. Am J Ophthalmol. 2016;doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2016.03.031
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