Different types of optic disc shape in patients with advanced open-angle glaucoma

Purpose: To study the characteristics of patients with advanced open-angle glaucoma. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective study was performed. Advanced glaucoma was defined as visual acuity of 0.3 or less, or mean deviation of -24 dB or less. First, we screened patients with advanced glaucoma and classified their glaucoma types. For patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), including both primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), disc types were classified into four groups: focal ischemic (FI), myopic glaucomatous (MY), senile sclerotic (SS), and generalized cup enlargement (GE). Results: After checking the medical history of 750 glaucoma patients, we classified 141 (18.8%) as having the advanced stage of the disease. The proportion of patients with advanced OAG was 47% (28% POAG, 19% NTG). The classification of optic disc appearances in OAG patients showed that in patients with POAG the predominant disc type was GE (P = 0.0012) and in those with NTG it was MY (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: In OAG patients in this study with severe glaucomatous damage, the predominant disc phenotype was GE in patients with POAG and MY in those with NTG.