Macular Damage in Glaucoma is Associated with Deficits in Facial Recognition.

Abstract Purpose This report examines the relationship between glaucomatous macular damage and facial recognition. Additionally, it assesses the role of contrast sensitivity (CS) as an intermediary step in the causal pathway between macular damage and impairment of facial recognition. Design Prospective cross-sectional study Methods . Setting Tertiary care center Study population 144 eyes of 72 participants with a diagnosis of open angle glaucoma in one or both eyes and a visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye. The presence or absence of macular damage was determined by comparing corresponding regions of the retinal nerve fiber layer and the retinal ganglion cell layer spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with the 10-2 visual field (VF). Better and worse eye was determined by 10-2 VF mean deviations (MD). Intervention (1) Macular function as measured by 10-2 VF. (2) CS as measured by the Freiburg Visual Acuity and Contrast Test (FrACT). Main Outcome Measure Cambridge Face Memory Test scores (CFMT) Results Regardless of eye, there was a significant correlation between facial recogntion and 10-2 VF MD (p Conclusions Even with good central visual acuity, patients with glaucomatous macular damage exhibit diminished facial recognition, which is partly mediated through diminished CS.