Increased fluorescein filling defects in the wall of the optic disc cup in glaucoma
G. Adam and B. Schwartz
One hundred seventy-one optic disc fluorescein angiograms of glaucomatous,
ocular hypertensive, and normal patients were studied for the occurrence of
areas of hypofluorescence or absolute filling defects in the rim, wall, and
floor of the optic cup using disc stereo photographs compared with the
fluorescein angiogram. The frequencies of involvement of the rim, wall, and
floor of the cup by filling defects were determined. The wall of the cup
has a greater percentage of filling defects in subjects with glaucoma than
in ocular hypertensive or in normal subjects. The floor of the cup has more
filling defects in normal subjects than in those with glaucoma. The
involvement of the wall of the cup increases with the degree of
visual-field loss in glaucoma. We suggest that, in glaucoma, the effect of
ocular pressure is greater on the wall of the cup than on the floor of the
cup.
