Which visual field defect is characteristic of glaucoma?

The typical visual field defect associated with glaucoma is an arcuate scotoma. This type of scotoma presents as a crescent or arc-shaped defect that generally follows the horizontal meridian of the visual field, often beginning in the peripheral regions and gradually encroaching toward the central vision as the disease progresses. This pattern is due to the damage of the retinal ganglion cells and their corresponding axons, which is characteristic of the glaucomatous process.

In glaucoma, especially primary open-angle glaucoma, the loss of ganglion cells often leads to peculiar patterns of vision loss, starting peripherally and creating these arcuate defects. Unlike the other types of scotomas listed, which are not typically associated with glaucoma's pathology, the arcuate scotoma specifically aligns with how visual field loss tends to occur in this condition, making it a key feature for diagnosis and monitoring of progression.

Centrocaecal and ring scotomas, while they reflect different types of visual field loss related to other conditions, do not embody the common visual field characteristics that are seen in patients with glaucoma. Central scotomas, associated with macular degeneration and other retinal diseases, highlight central vision loss rather than the peripheral vision loss that is typical in