What does functional tasting tell us about optic nerve damage?

information fi om different regions of the visual field travels through specific bundles of retinal ganglion cell axone. This visual information is disrupted in patients with glaucoma, and the effects can he seen in measurements of the visual field and optic nerve. Typical shapes and sizes of glaucomatous field defects result from damage to these nerve fiber bundles at the level of the optic disk, and we have identified specific patterns of progression. These patterns apply to the visual function-specific field tests that are designed to indirectly assess sub-populations of retinal ganglion cells. The rationale for these tests is described. An argument for the importance of using visual function techniques to assess progression in an individual patient is given. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc. All lights reserved.