Variability in short‐wavelength automated perimetry among peri‐ or postmenopausal women: a dependence on phyto‐oestrogen consumption?

. Purpose:  To determine whether the hill of vision for Short‐Wavelength Automated Perimetry (SWAP) is shallower for women who consume phyto‐oestrogen‐rich foods than for women who do not. Methods:  Visual field data were compared for two groups of healthy amenorrhoeic women 48–69 years‐old with normal vision and not using hormone replacement: (1) 24 subjects who reported consuming soy and/or flax products and (2) 20 subjects who reported not consuming these products. Two types of 24‐2 visual fields were measured: (1) Full Threshold SWAP and (2) a white‐on‐white (W/W) field obtained using a Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm (SITA Standard). Results:  The reduction of SWAP sensitivity from the centre of the field (4 loci, mean eccentricity = 4.2°) to the periphery (20 loci, mean eccentricity = 21.9°) was less for soy/flax consumers than for nonconsumers, both with age‐referencing (mean difference = 1.7 dB, p = 0.018) and without (p = 0.012). Corresponding distinctions existed for the SWAP – W/W difference, and there was minimal effect for W/W fields alone. The peripheral age‐referenced SWAP sensitivities averaged 2.5 dB higher for consumers than nonconsumers (p = 0.022). Conclusion:  The between‐group distinctions are consistent with the possibility (derived from the women’s health literature) that phyto‐oestrogens may counteract a decline of short‐wavelength‐sensitive cone‐mediated response among postmenopausal women. These results suggest another potential application for SWAP outside its original intended purpose as a glaucoma test. Future studies should assess whether phyto‐oestrogen consumption is most beneficial for women who are sufficiently young and/or not too far beyond menopause.