Optic disc topography of normal tension glaucoma patients in Malaysia

There are limited data in the literature on the optic disc topography in normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients in Asian countries, especially in Southeast Asia. This study is aimed at comparing optic disc topography in NTG patients and a control group in Malaysia, and we discuss the literature on NTG studies in other Asian populations. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals with glaucoma services in Malaysia from November 2010 to February 2012. A total of 109 eyes of 109 Malay patients were included in this study: 32 NTG patients and 77 subjects in the control group. All participants underwent a thorough ocular examination, including visual acuity, subjective refraction, anterior segment and fundus examinations, Humphrey visual field 24-2, intraocular pressure measurement, gonioscopy examination and fundus photography. Optic disc topography was assessed using the Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph III by an identified masked investigator in each hospital. NTG patients had a notably larger disc area (2.65 (0.41) vs 2.19 (0.43) mm(2), respectively), larger cupping (1.54 (0.43) vs 0.63 (0.40) mm(2), respectively), smaller retinal rim areas (1.12 (0.41) vs 1.56 (0.33) mm(2), respectively), higher cup volume (0.47 (0.28) vs 0.11 (0.19) mm(3), respectively), reduced rim volume (0.23 (0.13) vs 0.41 (0.16) mm(3), respectively), higher cup to disc area ratio (0.58 (0.14) vs 0.27 (0.15), respectively), higher linear cup to disc ratio (0.76 (0.09) vs 0.49 (0.17) mm(2), respectively), higher mean cup depth (0.37 (0.09) vs 0.22 (0.09) mm, respectively), higher maximum cup depth (0.77 (0.16) vs 0.59 (0.20) mm, respectively), higher mean of cup shape measure (-0.04 (0.06) vs -0.16 (0.07), respectively), and thinner mean retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (0.15 (0.15) vs 0.24 (0.07) mm, respectively) compared to the control group (p<0.05). In conclusion, most of the optic disc parameters were significantly different in NTG patients compared to healthy individuals in Malaysia. Our findings are comparable to those reported in NTG studies in other Asian countries.