Advantages and limitations of the spatially adaptive program SAPRO in clinical perimetry

The SAPRO* program, devised for the OCTOPUS 201 automated perimeter, consists of a number of program components. It is designed to be used on the Octopus 201 computer. In its measurement mode, it employs an algorithm which achieves high speed and efficiency. This is made possible by a threshold bracketing strategy which is simpler than the normal OCTOPUS bracketing. Moreover, three grids with test location distributions of increasing resolution are superimposed in succession on the whole or on part of the visual field to be analyzed. Out of the distribution of test locations, only those which fulfill a number of criteria are actually utilized. These criteria must be given and are adaptable to any given clinical problem. As a result, despite the high spatial resolution achieved, only a fraction of the test locations are utilized using SAPRO as compared with a program using a fixed pattern of test locations. The algorithm is thus able to imitate human intelligence, which tends to concentrate stimuli at places which appear to be relevant for the solution of a problem. The results of program SAPRO are disturbed by short-and long-term fluctuations. Their validity is limited, in a manner similar to that encountered in any other threshold determination procedure. A number of printout modes is available which are oriented towards an optimal understanding of the information contained in various examinations. These principles will be illustrated by one case of inactive disseminated chorioretinitis.