Study designs of evaluations included in the review
All comparative studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. Narrative reviews, editorials, letters, abstracts, preliminary reports and case reports of individual patient data were excluded. The included studies were case-control designs.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of multichannel, simultaneous perimeters to measure multifocal visually evoked potentials (VEPs) were eligible for inclusion. Multichannel sequential perimeters, single-channel perimeters, or those measuring single focal VEPs, were excluded. Those included in the review were the AccuMap perimeter and the VERIS perimeter. For the AccuMap device, the threshold for positivity was a cluster of 3 zones with a P-value greater than 0.05 with at least one zone greater than 0.02. For the VERIS device, this was a signal amplitude of less than 120 nV in at least 3 adjacent points in the matching area.
Reference standard test against which the new test was compared
Studies comparing the index test with the Humphrey field analyser (an automated computerised static perimeter) were eligible for inclusion. Kinetic and manual static perimeters were excluded. Those included in the review were the Humphrey 24-2 program (stereo disk photography and glaucoma hemifield test).
Participants included in the review
Studies of people requiring a visual field examination were eligible for inclusion. Those included in the review were glaucoma patients aged between 25 and 75 years (the mean age in the two included studies was in the 50s and 60s age ranges).
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies allowing the calculation of diagnostic accuracy outcomes (sensitivity and specificity), along with those assessing patient management and safety, were eligible for inclusion in the review. No studies were found that examined patient outcomes.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
Two reviewers examined abstracts and full papers for possible inclusion. Any disagreements were resolved by consensus.