Temporal visual field in glaucoma: a re-evaluation in the automated perimetry era.

We prospectively studied 152 glaucoma patients (192 eyes) and 31 normal subjects (31 eyes) tested with the 30-2 program and a customized temporal periphery program on the Humphrey Field Analyzer to determine the usefulness of routine testing temporal to the blind spot. We found that in 53 glaucomatous and each of 31 control eyes the central 30 degrees and temporal peripheral field were normal. In eyes with glaucomatous defects, testing temporal to the blind spot provided information equivalent to the central Bjerrum area in 66 eyes, less in 62 eyes, and more in 11 eyes. Temporal field testing was most useful in eyes with a diffusely depressed Bjerrum area (mean defect less than -8.30 dB). This study suggests that automated static perimetry commonly reveals glaucomatous defects temporal to the blind spot, but usually adds significant information over central testing only in patients with late visual field changes.