Effect Of Mydriasis On Visual-Field Area In Retinitis-Pigmentosa

Purpose: The effect of mydriasis on Goldmann visual field area in patients with retinitis pigmentosa has not been suitably defined. The aim of this study is to determine whether visual field area in these patients varies with pharmacologic mydriasis.Methods: Fifteen adult patients with retinitis pigmentosa were studied prospectively. Goldmann visual fields with II4e and V4e isopters were obtained in both eyes before and after full pharmacologic mydriasis of the right eye. The isopter areas were quantified and analyzed to determine the effect of mydriasis on visual field area.Results: The difference in the right eye isopter areas was compared with the difference in the left eye isopter areas using paired t tests, where the differences were computed from areas obtained before and after dilation of the right eye. Mydriasis had no significant effect on the visual field in terms of isopter area difference (II4e, P = 0.87; V4e, P = 0.45) and percent change in isopter area (II4e, P = 0.81; V4e, P = 0.24).Conclusion: Pharmacologic mydriasis had no appreciable effect on the Goldmann visual field area in a selected group of patients with retinitis pigmentosa. These findings suggest that visual fields of such patients obtained in the dilated or undilated state can be meaningfully compared.