SPARCS: a new method of evaluating contrast sensitivity in patients with glaucoma

Purpose To evaluate a new contrast sensitivity instrument as a diagnostic test for glaucoma. Methods Glaucoma patients, glaucoma suspects, and controls were prospectively evaluated using the Spaeth‐Richman Contrast Sensitivity (SPARCS) method. Testing was performed monocularly in a standardized testing environment. Contrast thresholds for the central, superonasal, superotemporal, inferonasal, and inferotemporal areas of vision were determined. The contrast sensitivity scores for each area of vision and the cumulative scores were then compared to subjects’ visual field and the amount of optic nerve damage, measured by the Disc Damage Likelihood Scale (DDLS) and the vertical cup to disc ratio. The results were analyzed with Spearman coefficients for continuous variables and the Kruskal‐Wallis test for categorical variables. Results One hundred and eighteen patients with glaucoma, 18 glaucoma suspects, and 125 controls completed the study. The mean SPARCS scores were 63.0 for patients with glaucoma, 71.9 for glaucoma suspects, and 77.1 for controls (p < 0.01). SPARCS had strong correlations with patients’ visual field (r = 0.76, p < 0.01), DDLS (r = ‐0.73, p < 0.01), and vertical cup to disc (r = ‐0.64, p < 0.01). Conclusion SPARCS was able to discriminate well between patients with glaucoma, glaucoma suspects, and controls. SPARCS had strong relationships with the degree of visual field and optic nerve damage. SPARCS may become a standard technique to assess visual ability in glaucoma patients.Commercial interest