Influence of test reliability on the screening performance of frequency-doubling perimetry

Govert P Heeg; Nomdo M Jansonius

doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2005.10.005

Influence of test reliability on the screening performance of frequency-doubling perimetry

Am J Ophthalmol. 2006 Mar;141(3):585-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2005.10.005.

Authors

Govert P Heeg¹, Nomdo M Jansonius

Affiliation

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.

PMID: 16490521
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2005.10.005

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the influence of test reliability on the screening performance of frequency-doubling perimetry (FDT).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: FDT sensitivity and specificity were calculated three times using three different strategies for handling unreliable (that is, >0 reliability indices outside normal limits) and unfeasible (that is, could not be completed) tests in 452 glaucoma patients from our outpatient department and 237 healthy subjects recruited outside the hospital.

Results: Unreliable (P = .01) and unfeasible (P < .001) tests occurred more frequently in glaucoma patients when compared with healthy subjects. Best screening performance was obtained by interpreting unreliable tests as if they were reliable and considering unfeasible tests as positive. With this strategy, sensitivity was 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.87-0.93) and specificity 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.76-0.86).

Conclusions: Unreliable and unfeasible FDT tests appear to contain useful information.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
False Positive Reactions
Follow-Up Studies
Glaucoma / diagnosis*
Humans
Optic Nerve Diseases / diagnosis*
Prospective Studies
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Vision Screening / standards*
Visual Field Tests / standards*
Visual Fields*