A comparison of visual field loss in primary open-angle glaucoma and the secondary glaucomas.

We compared the pattern of visual field loss in 148 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and 63 patients with secondary glaucoma. The frequency with which each location in the visual field was defective was similar in the two conditions. The most common visual field defects in both varieties of glaucoma were superior arcuate scotomas and superior nasal steps. The similar distribution of visual field defects in primary and secondary glaucomas is consistent with a common mechanism for optic disc damage.