Recurrent Visual Field Progression Happens for 1 in 4 With Glaucoma

TUESDAY, Nov. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Recurrent visual field progression after a first guided progression analysis (GPA) progression event is common, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Davina A. Malek, M.D., from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, and colleagues evaluated the incidence of recurrent visual field progression after an initial GPA likely-progression event. The analysis included 635 eyes from patients with open-angle glaucoma or suspected glaucoma with adequate follow-up after first progression and intraocular pressure (IOP) data.

The researchers found that during a mean 12.4 years of follow-up, 26.3 percent had recurrence, with Kaplan-Meier cumulative recurrence of 13.8 percent at three years and 43.5 percent at 10 years. Faster mean deviation (MD) loss before first progression (hazard ratio [HR], 1.73 per 1 decibel [dB]/year), higher mean IOP after the first event (HR, 1.09 per 1 mm Hg), less negative MD at first progression (HR, 1.08 per 1 dB), and older age (HR, 1.11 per five years) were independently associated with recurrence. A lower risk was seen for each 10 percent greater IOP reduction (HR, 0.89). For eyes with pre-event MD slopes faster than −1.0 dB/year, recurrence occurred in 42.7 percent of eyes versus 23.4 percent in slower-progressing eyes.

“These results may help target intensified monitoring and IOP lowering toward higher-risk eyes,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the health technology or pharmaceutical industries.

Abstract/Full Text