PURPOSE

We assessed the agreement of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) color codes between Stratus and Cirrus optical coherence tomography (OCT) according to the glaucoma severity.

METHODS

We analyzed 184 eyes from 144 subjects with glaucoma and 40 normal subjects. Glaucoma was categorized into three subgroups according to mean deviation of visual field. The agreement of RNFL color code according to the glaucoma severity was assessed using Cohen's kappa value. Red or yellow color codes were defined as abnormal results, while green or white were defined as normal. Disagreement frequency of abnormal color code displayed by 2 OCTs was evaluated.

RESULTS

The agreement of RNFL color code was fair to good in all subgroups (κ 0.288-0.887) except for the nasal quadrant, 1 to 4, and the 9 o'clock sectors. In all severity groups, the frequency of disagreement was less than 10% for average, temporal, and inferior sectors. However, Stratus OCT displayed abnormal results, while Cirrus showed normal results for nasal sectors with considerable disagreement proportion (severe 22.5%, moderate 13.2%, and early 13.6%). The disagreement tended to be pronounced in severe glaucoma. On the other hand, Cirrus OCT displayed abnormal results, while Stratus showed normal results for superior sectors (severe 10.0%, moderate 10.5%, and early 15.2%). The frequency was higher in early glaucoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Considerable color code disagreements were observed in nasal and superior sectors, and the proportion was different according to the glaucoma severity. Color codes of two OCTs could not be considered interchangeable.