AIM: To evaluate the pupil light reflex in patients with primary open angle glaucoma, and to investigate the relation between pupil and visual field defect.

METHODS: From July 2014 to October 2015, 115 eyes in 86 patients with primary open angle glaucoma and 23 eyes in 16 healthy individuals were continuously enrolled in this study. All the subjects received comprehensive eye examination, visual field examination(Humphrey, SITA Standard 24-2)and dynamic pupil measurement(MonCV3 Metrovision). According to the visual field and the Glaucoma Staging System, the patients with glaucoma were divided into 5 subgroups: stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4 and stage 5. The parameters of pupillary light reflex were as follows: pupil diameter(minimum, maximum), latency and duration of contraction, latency and duration of dilatation, contraction amplitude, contraction and dilatation speed, and percent of pupil contraction(PPC). SPSS 19.0 statistical software was used to analyze the measurement results.

RESULTS: The control group significantly differed from the stage 4 subgroup(P=0.032)and stage 5 subgroup(P=0.014)in terms of minimum pupil diameter; there was significant difference in the pupil contraction speed between groups(F=648.675, P<0.01), and the contraction speed in stage 5 subgroup was significantly lower than those in the other subgroups and control group(P<0.05); the control group significantly differed from the stage 3, stage 4, and stage 5 subgroup in terms of PPC(P<0.05). Pupil contraction speed, PPC and minimum diameter showed correlation with the stages of glaucoma.

CONCLUSION: Pupil contraction ability in patients with primary open angle glaucoma was impaired, and the degree of impairment is related with the degree of visual field defect.