Optic disk size in open-angle glaucoma: The Blue Mountains Eye Study

PURPOSE: To compare optic disk size in eyes of subjects classified as normal with the eyes of subjects with open angle glaucoma, ocular hypertension, or pseudoexfoliation syndrome in an older population-based sample. METHODS: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3,654 subjects. Vertical disk diameter was measured from stereoscopic disk photographs, and we used spherical equivalent refraction to correct for magnification. Analyses used all eyes in a general estimating equation model. RESULTS: Mean disk diameter was 1.556 mm in glaucomatous eyes, significantly different (P <.05) than normal eyes (1.506 mm) and eyes with ocular hypertension (1,494 mm) or pseudoexfoliation (1.501 mm). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with glaucoma have slightly larger optic disks than nonglaucomatous subjects. (Am J Ophthalmol 1999;128:515-517. (C) 1999 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.).