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Sample records for photopic spatial acuity

  1. Evaluation of contrast visual acuity in patients with retinitis pigmentosa

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    Oomachi, Kazumi; Ogata, Kazuha; Sugawara, Takeshi; Hagiwara, Akira; Hata, Akira; Yamamoto, Shuichi

    2011-01-01

    Background The purpose of this study was to determine visual acuity at different contrast levels under photopic and mesopic conditions in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Methods Sixty eyes of 31 normal controls, 92 eyes of 52 patients with retinitis pigmentosa without other ocular disorders (RP-1 group), and 20 eyes of 14 patients with retinitis pigmentosa with cataracts and without other ocular disorders (RP-2 group) were studied. Conventional visual acuity was measured using a conventional Landolt ring chart with 100% contrast and luminance of 150 cd/m2. All of the patients with retinitis pigmentosa had a decimal visual acuity better than 1.0. Contrast visual acuity was measured with the same Landolt ring chart with contrasts of 100% and 10% and under photopic (200 cd/m2) and mesopic (10 cd/m2) conditions. Decimal visual acuities were converted to logMAR units for the analyses. Results The 100% contrast visual acuity and the 10% contrast visual acuity determined under both photopic and mesopic conditions were significantly poorer in both the RP-1 and RP-2 groups than in the controls. The differences between the conventional visual acuity and the 100% contrast visual acuity were significantly greater in the RP-1 and RP-2 groups than in the controls under both photopic and mesopic conditions. The differences between the 100% contrast visual acuity and the 10% contrast visual acuity were not significant among the three groups under photopic and mesopic conditions. Conclusion Contrast visual acuities were greatly reduced in patients with retinitis pigmentosa with relatively well preserved conventional visual acuity, and the contrast visual acuity was largely influenced by ambient light levels in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Although a longitudinal study for confirmation has to be performed, our findings indicate that contrast visual acuity is a better test to follow changes in visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. PMID:22069346

  2. Tactile acuity charts: a reliable measure of spatial acuity.

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    Bruns, Patrick; Camargo, Carlos J; Campanella, Humberto; Esteve, Jaume; Dinse, Hubert R; Röder, Brigitte

    2014-01-01

    For assessing tactile spatial resolution it has recently been recommended to use tactile acuity charts which follow the design principles of the Snellen letter charts for visual acuity and involve active touch. However, it is currently unknown whether acuity thresholds obtained with this newly developed psychophysical procedure are in accordance with established measures of tactile acuity that involve passive contact with fixed duration and control of contact force. Here we directly compared tactile acuity thresholds obtained with the acuity charts to traditional two-point and grating orientation thresholds in a group of young healthy adults. For this purpose, two types of charts, using either Braille-like dot patterns or embossed Landolt rings with different orientations, were adapted from previous studies. Measurements with the two types of charts were equivalent, but generally more reliable with the dot pattern chart. A comparison with the two-point and grating orientation task data showed that the test-retest reliability of the acuity chart measurements after one week was superior to that of the passive methods. Individual thresholds obtained with the acuity charts agreed reasonably with the grating orientation threshold, but less so with the two-point threshold that yielded relatively distinct acuity estimates compared to the other methods. This potentially considerable amount of mismatch between different measures of tactile acuity suggests that tactile spatial resolution is a complex entity that should ideally be measured with different methods in parallel. The simple test procedure and high reliability of the acuity charts makes them a promising complement and alternative to the traditional two-point and grating orientation thresholds.

  3. Tactile acuity charts: a reliable measure of spatial acuity.

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    Patrick Bruns

    Full Text Available For assessing tactile spatial resolution it has recently been recommended to use tactile acuity charts which follow the design principles of the Snellen letter charts for visual acuity and involve active touch. However, it is currently unknown whether acuity thresholds obtained with this newly developed psychophysical procedure are in accordance with established measures of tactile acuity that involve passive contact with fixed duration and control of contact force. Here we directly compared tactile acuity thresholds obtained with the acuity charts to traditional two-point and grating orientation thresholds in a group of young healthy adults. For this purpose, two types of charts, using either Braille-like dot patterns or embossed Landolt rings with different orientations, were adapted from previous studies. Measurements with the two types of charts were equivalent, but generally more reliable with the dot pattern chart. A comparison with the two-point and grating orientation task data showed that the test-retest reliability of the acuity chart measurements after one week was superior to that of the passive methods. Individual thresholds obtained with the acuity charts agreed reasonably with the grating orientation threshold, but less so with the two-point threshold that yielded relatively distinct acuity estimates compared to the other methods. This potentially considerable amount of mismatch between different measures of tactile acuity suggests that tactile spatial resolution is a complex entity that should ideally be measured with different methods in parallel. The simple test procedure and high reliability of the acuity charts makes them a promising complement and alternative to the traditional two-point and grating orientation thresholds.

  4. Contrast sensitivity measured by two different test methods in healthy, young adults with normal visual acuity.

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    Koefoed, Vilhelm F; Baste, Valborg; Roumes, Corinne; Høvding, Gunnar

    2015-03-01

    This study reports contrast sensitivity (CS) reference values obtained by two different test methods in a strictly selected population of healthy, young adults with normal uncorrected visual acuity. Based on these results, the index of contrast sensitivity (ICS) is calculated, aiming to establish ICS reference values for this population and to evaluate the possible usefulness of ICS as a tool to compare the degree of agreement between different CS test methods. Military recruits with best eye uncorrected visual acuity 0.00 LogMAR or better, normal colour vision and age 18-25 years were included in a study to record contrast sensitivity using Optec 6500 (FACT) at spatial frequencies of 1.5, 3, 6, 12 and 18 cpd in photopic and mesopic light and CSV-1000E at spatial frequencies of 3, 6, 12 and 18 cpd in photopic light. Index of contrast sensitivity was calculated based on data from the three tests, and the Bland-Altman technique was used to analyse the agreement between ICS obtained by the different test methods. A total of 180 recruits were included. Contrast sensitivity frequency data for all tests were highly skewed with a marked ceiling effect for the photopic tests. The median ICS for Optec 6500 at 85 cd/m2 was -0.15 (95% percentile 0.45), compared with -0.00 (95% percentile 1.62) for Optec at 3 cd/m2 and 0.30 (95% percentile 1.20) FOR CSV-1000E. The mean difference between ICSFACT 85 and ICSCSV was -0.43 (95% CI -0.56 to -0.30, p<0.00) with limits of agreement (LoA) within -2.10 and 1.22. The regression line on the difference of average was near to zero (R2=0.03). The results provide reference CS and ICS values in a young, adult population with normal visual acuity. The agreement between the photopic tests indicated that they may be used interchangeably. There was little agreement between the mesopic and photopic tests. The mesopic test seemed best suited to differentiate between candidates and may therefore possibly be useful for medical selection purposes.

  5. Predicting visual acuity from detection thresholds.

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    Newacheck, J S; Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G; Adams, A J

    1990-03-01

    Visual performance based exclusively on high luminance and high contrast letter acuity measures often fails to predict individual performance at low contrast and low luminance. Here we measured visual acuity over a wide range of contrasts and luminances (low mesopic to photopic) for 17 young normal observers. Acuity vs. contrast functions appear to fit a single template which can be displaced laterally along the log contrast axis. The magnitude of this lateral displacement for different luminances was well predicted by the contrast threshold difference for a 4 min arc spot. The acuity vs. contrast template, taken from the mean of all 17 subjects, was used in conjunction with individual spot contrast threshold measures to predict an individual's visual acuity over a wide range of luminance and contrast levels. The accuracy of the visual acuity predictions from this simple procedure closely approximates test-retest accuracy for both positive (projected Landolt rings) and negative contrast (Bailey-Lovie charts).

  6. Tactile spatial acuity in childhood: effects of age and fingertip size.

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    Ryan M Peters

    Full Text Available Tactile acuity is known to decline with age in adults, possibly as the result of receptor loss, but less is understood about how tactile acuity changes during childhood. Previous research from our laboratory has shown that fingertip size influences tactile spatial acuity in young adults: those with larger fingers tend to have poorer acuity, possibly because mechanoreceptors are more sparsely distributed in larger fingers. We hypothesized that a similar relationship would hold among children. If so, children's tactile spatial acuity might be expected to worsen as their fingertips grow. However, concomitant CNS maturation might result in more efficient perceptual processing, counteracting the effect of fingertip growth on tactile acuity. To investigate, we conducted a cross-sectional study, testing 116 participants ranging in age from 6 to 16 years on a precision-controlled tactile grating orientation task. We measured each participant's grating orientation threshold on the dominant index finger, along with physical properties of the fingertip: surface area, volume, sweat pore spacing, and temperature. We found that, as in adults, children with larger fingertips (at a given age had significantly poorer acuity, yet paradoxically acuity did not worsen significantly with age. We propose that finger growth during development results in a gradual decline in innervation density as receptive fields reposition to cover an expanding skin surface. At the same time, central maturation presumably enhances perceptual processing.

  7. Relationships between luminance and visual acuity in the rhesus monkey

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    Cavonius, C. R.; Robbins, D. O.

    1973-01-01

    1. The ability of rhesus monkeys to detect the gap in Landolt ring test-objects that were presented against background luminances between 5 × 10-5 cd/m2 and 5 × 103 cd/m2 was compared with similar human data. 2. At high luminance-levels the acuity of human observers is slightly better than that of rhesus, but rhesus have better acuity at scotopic luminance-levels. Both species have distinct photopic and scotopic acuity functions that cross at 6 × 10-3 cd/m2. 3. The threshold for light detection is estimated to be the same for both species when specified in quanta incident on the retina. 4. It is concluded that the receptor and neural mechanisms that mediate visual-acuity function similarly in rhesus and man, and that the differences in acuity that were measured in the two species may be attributed to optical rather than to physiological factors. PMID:4199366

  8. Stimulus-dependent effects on tactile spatial acuity

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    Tommerdahl M

    2005-10-01

    "bilateral" condition, in which 25 Hz flutter was delivered to the two points on the attended hand and a second stimulus (either flutter or vibration was delivered to the unattended hand. The two-point limen was reduced (i.e., spatial acuity was improved under the complex stimulus condition when compared to the control stimulus condition. Specifically, whereas adding vibration to the unilateral two-point flutter stimulus improved spatial acuity by 20 to 25%, the two-point limen was not significantly affected by substantial changes in stimulus amplitude (between 100 – 200 μm. In contrast, simultaneous stimulation of the unattended hand (contralateral to the attended site, impaired spatial acuity by 20% with flutter stimulation and by 30% with vibration stimulation. Conclusion It was found that the addition of 200 Hz vibration to a two-point 25 Hz flutter stimulus significantly improved a subject's ability to discriminate between two points on the skin. Since previous studies showed that 200 Hz vibration preferentially evokes activity in cortical area SII and reduces or inhibits the spatial extent of activity in SI in the same hemisphere, the findings in this paper raise the possibility that although SI activity plays a major role in two-point discrimination on the skin, influences relayed to SI from SII in the same hemisphere may contribute importantly to SI's ability to differentially respond to stimuli applied to closely spaced skin points on the same side of the body midline.

  9. A contralateral eye study comparing apodized diffrative and full diffrative lenses: wavefront analysis and distance and near uncorrected visual acuity

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    Marcony Rodrigues de Santhiago

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To evaluate intraindividual visual acuity, wavefront errors and modulation transfer functions in patients implanted with two diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses. METHODS: This prospective study examined 40 eyes of 20 cataract patients who underwent phacoemulsification and implantation of a spherical multifocal ReSTOR intraocular lens in one eye and an aspheric Tecnis ZM900 multifocal intraocular lens in the other eye. The main outcome measures, over a 3-month follow-up period, were the uncorrected photopic distance and near visual acuity and the defocus curve. The visual acuity was converted to logMAR for statistical analysis and is presented in decimal scale. The wavefront error and modulation transfer function were also evaluated in both groups. RESULTS: At the 3-month postoperative visit, the mean photopic distance uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA was 0.74 ± 0.20 in the ReSTOR group and 0.76 ± 0.22 in the Tecnis group (p=0.286. The mean near UCVA was 0.96 ± 0.10 in the ReSTOR group and 0.93 ± 0.14 in the Tecnis group (p=0.963. The binocular defocus curve showed measurements between the peaks better than 0.2 logMAR. The total aberration, higher-order aberration and coma aberration were not significantly different between the groups. The spherical aberration was significantly lower in the Tecnis group than in the ReSTOR group. (p=0.004. Both groups performed similarly for the modulation transfer function. CONCLUSION: The ReSTOR SN60D3 and Tecnis ZM 900 intraocular lenses provided similar photopic visual acuity at distance and near. The diffractive intraocular lenses studied provided a low value of coma and spherical aberrations, with the Tecnis intraocular lens having a statistically lower spherical aberration compared to the ReSTOR intraocular lens. In the 5 mm pupil diameter analyses, both intraocular lens groups showed similar modulation transfer functions.

  10. Comparison of fundus autofluorescence with photopic and scotopic fine matrix mapping in patients with retinitis pigmentosa: 4- to 8-year follow-up.

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    Robson, Anthony G; Lenassi, Eva; Saihan, Zubin; Luong, Vy A; Fitzke, Fred W; Holder, Graham E; Webster, Andrew R

    2012-09-14

    To assess the significance and evolution of parafoveal rings of high-density fundus autofluorescence (AF) in 12 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Twelve patients with autosomal recessive RP or Usher syndrome type 2 were ascertained who had a parafoveal ring of high-density AF and a visual acuity of 20/30 or better at baseline. Photopic and scotopic fine matrix mapping (FMM) were performed to test sensitivity across the macula. AF imaging and FMM were repeated after 4 to 8 years and optical coherence tomography (OCT) performed. The size of the AF ring reduced over time and disappeared in one subject. Photopic thresholds were normal over the fovea; thresholds were elevated by 0.6 log units over the ring and by 1.2 log units external to the ring at baseline and differed by less than 0.1 log unit at follow-up. Mild photopic losses close to the internal edge of the ring were detected at baseline or follow-up in all. Mean scotopic thresholds over parafoveal areas within the ring were markedly elevated in 8 of 10 at baseline and were severely elevated in 9 of 11 at follow-up. The eccentricity of the inner edge of the AF ring corresponded closely with the lateral extent of the inner segment ellipsoid band in the OCT image. Ring constriction was largely coincident with progressive centripetal photopic threshold elevation led by worsening of rod photoreceptor function. The rate of constriction differed across patients, and a ring may reach a critical minimum before disappearing, at which stage central visual loss occurs. The structural and functional changes associated with rings of increased autofluorescence confirm that they provide an objective index of macular involvement and may aid the management of RP patients and the monitoring of future treatment efficacy.

  11. Local and non-local deficits in amblyopia: acuity and spatial interactions.

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    Bonneh, Yoram S; Sagi, Dov; Polat, Uri

    2004-12-01

    Amblyopic vision is thought to be limited by abnormal long-range spatial interactions, but their exact mode of action and relationship to the main amblyopic deficit in visual acuity is largely unknown. We studied this relationship in a group (N=59) of anisometropic (N=21) and strabismic (or combined, N=38) subjects, using (1) a single and multi-pattern (crowded) computerized static Tumbling-E test with scaled spacing of two pattern widths (TeVA), in addition to an optotype (ETDRS chart) acuity test (VA) and (2) contrast detection of Gabor patches with lateral flankers (lateral masking) along the horizontal and vertical axes as well as in collinear and parallel configurations. By correlating the different measures of visual acuity and contrast suppression, we found that (1) the VA of the strabismic subjects could be decomposed into two uncorrelated components measured in TeVA: acuity for isolated patterns and acuity reduction due to flanking patterns. The latter comprised over 60% of the VA magnitude, on the average and accounted for over 50% of its variance. In contrast, a slight reduction in acuity was found in the anisometropic subjects, and the acuity for a single pattern could account for 70% of the VA variance. (2) The lateral suppression (contrast threshold elevation) in a parallel configuration along the horizontal axis was correlated with the VA (R2=0.7), as well as with the crowding effect (TeVA elevation, R2=0.5) for the strabismic group. Some correlation with the VA was also found for the collinear configuration in the anisometropic group, but less suppression and no correlation were found for all the vertical configurations in all the groups. The results indicate the existence of a specific non-local component of the strabismic deficit, in addition to the local acuity deficit in all amblyopia types. This deficit might reflect long-range lateral inhibition, or alternatively, an inaccurate and scattered top-down attentional selection mechanism.

  12. Short-term visual deprivation does not enhance passive tactile spatial acuity.

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    Michael Wong

    Full Text Available An important unresolved question in sensory neuroscience is whether, and if so with what time course, tactile perception is enhanced by visual deprivation. In three experiments involving 158 normally sighted human participants, we assessed whether tactile spatial acuity improves with short-term visual deprivation over periods ranging from under 10 to over 110 minutes. We used an automated, precisely controlled two-interval forced-choice grating orientation task to assess each participant's ability to discern the orientation of square-wave gratings pressed against the stationary index finger pad of the dominant hand. A two-down one-up staircase (Experiment 1 or a Bayesian adaptive procedure (Experiments 2 and 3 was used to determine the groove width of the grating whose orientation each participant could reliably discriminate. The experiments consistently showed that tactile grating orientation discrimination does not improve with short-term visual deprivation. In fact, we found that tactile performance degraded slightly but significantly upon a brief period of visual deprivation (Experiment 1 and did not improve over periods of up to 110 minutes of deprivation (Experiments 2 and 3. The results additionally showed that grating orientation discrimination tends to improve upon repeated testing, and confirmed that women significantly outperform men on the grating orientation task. We conclude that, contrary to two recent reports but consistent with an earlier literature, passive tactile spatial acuity is not enhanced by short-term visual deprivation. Our findings have important theoretical and practical implications. On the theoretical side, the findings set limits on the time course over which neural mechanisms such as crossmodal plasticity may operate to drive sensory changes; on the practical side, the findings suggest that researchers who compare tactile acuity of blind and sighted participants should not blindfold the sighted participants.

  13. Comparison of wavefront aberrations under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions using WaveScan

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    Rong Fan

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To evaluate the differences of wavefront aberrations under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions. METHODS: A total of 174 eyes of 105 patients were measured using the wavefront sensor (WaveScan® 3.62 under different pupil conditions: cycloplegic 8.58 ± 0.54 mm (6.4 mm - 9.5 mm, scotopic 7.53 ± 0.69 mm (5.7 mm - 9.1 mm and photopic 6.08 ± 1.14 mm (4.1 mm - 8.8 mm. The pupil diameter, standard Zernike coefficients, root mean square of higher-order aberrations and dominant aberrations were compared between cycloplegic and scotopic conditions, and between scotopic and photopic conditions. RESULTS: The pupil diameter was 7.53 ± 0.69 mm under the scotopic condition, which reached the requirement of about 6.5 mm optical zone design in the wavefront-guided surgery and prevented measurement error due to the pupil centroid shift caused by mydriatics. Pharmacological pupil dilation induced increase of standard Zernike coefficients Z3-3, Z4(0 and Z5-5. The higher-order aberrations, third-order aberration, fourth-order aberration, fifth-order aberration, sixth-order aberration, and spherical aberration increased statistically significantly, compared to the scotopic condition (P<0.010. When the scotopic condition shifted to the photopic condition, the standard Zernike coefficients Z4(0, Z4², Z6-4, Z6-2, Z6² decreased and all the higher-order aberrations decreased statistically significantly (P<0.010, demonstrating that accommodative miosis can significantly improve vision under the photopic condition. Under the three conditions, the vertical coma aberration appears the most frequently within the dominant aberrations without significant effect by pupil size variance, and the proportion of spherical aberrations decreased with the decrease of the pupil size. CONCLUSIONS: The wavefront aberrations are significantly different under cycloplegic, scotopic and photopic conditions. Using the wavefront sensor (VISX WaveScan to measure scotopic

  14. Individual Differences in Scotopic Visual Acuity and Contrast Sensitivity: Genetic and Non-Genetic Influences.

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    Alex J Bartholomew

    Full Text Available Despite the large amount of variation found in the night (scotopic vision capabilities of healthy volunteers, little effort has been made to characterize this variation and factors, genetic and non-genetic, that influence it. In the largest population of healthy observers measured for scotopic visual acuity (VA and contrast sensitivity (CS to date, we quantified the effect of a range of variables on visual performance. We found that young volunteers with excellent photopic vision exhibit great variation in their scotopic VA and CS, and this variation is reliable from one testing session to the next. We additionally identified that factors such as Circadian preference, iris color, astigmatism, depression, sex and education have no significant impact on scotopic visual function. We confirmed previous work showing that the amount of time spent on the vision test influences performance and that laser eye surgery results in worse scotopic vision. We also showed a significant effect of intelligence and photopic visual performance on scotopic VA and CS, but all of these variables collectively explain <30% of the variation in scotopic vision. The wide variation seen in young healthy volunteers with excellent photopic vision, the high test-retest agreement, and the vast majority of the variation in scotopic vision remaining unexplained by obvious non-genetic factors suggests a strong genetic component. Our preliminary genome-wide association study (GWAS of 106 participants ruled out any common genetic variants of very large effect and paves the way for future, larger genetic studies of scotopic vision.

  15. VISUAL ACUITY AND CLINICAL REFRACTION FOLLOWING IMPLANTATION OF VARIOUS MULTIFOCAL INTRAOCULAR LENSES

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    N. N. Temirov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To analyze visual acuity, clinical refraction, and defocusing tolerance after the implantation of monofocal IOL with rotational asymmetric optic (Lentis Mplus 313 MF compared with Acrysof ReSTOR SN6AD1.Materials and methods. Phacoemulsification was performed in a total of 194 patients (288 eyes, i.e., 144 patients (188 eyes with cataract and 50 patients (100 eyes with presbyopia and high ametropia. The patients were divided into two groups. Study group included 132 patients (194 eyes implanted with Lentis Mplus while control group included 62 patients (94 eyes implanted with Acrysof ReSTOR. Uncorrected distance (5 m, intermediate (50‑70 cm, and near (20‑40 cm visual acuity under photopic (85 cd/m2 and mesopic (8 cd/m2 conditions were measured, objective and subjective refractometry were performed, and defocusing tolerance was evaluated.Results. Postoperatively, uncorrected distance and near visual acuity was high while intermediate visual acuity was moderately low. Lentis Mplus patients had better near and intermediate visual acuity under mesopic conditions as compared with Acrysof ReSTOR patients. Emmetropia (target refraction was achieved in 90.2% of study group patients and in 87.2% of control group patients. In patients implanted with Lentis Mplus, refraction was measured by subjective method. Optimal A-constant for Lentis Mplus and Acrysof ReSTOR was 118.0 and 118.6, respectively. Under defocusing, Lentis Mplus patients had better visual acuity than Acrysof ReSTOR patients. This indirectly confirms better intermediate vision.Conclusions. Lentis Mplus provides better vision at various distances that does not almost depend on light levels and induces minimal dysphotopsia. 

  16. Lamp spectrum and spatial brightness at photopic levels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fotios, Steve; Atli, Deniz; Cheal, Chris

    2015-01-01

    Light sources are available in a variety of spectral power distributions (SPDs) and this affects spatial brightness in a manner not predicted by quantities such as illuminance. Tuning light source SPD to better match the sensitivity of visual perception may allow the same spatial brightness but a...

  17. Perceptual learning improves contrast sensitivity, visual acuity, and foveal crowding in amblyopia.

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    Barollo, Michele; Contemori, Giulio; Battaglini, Luca; Pavan, Andrea; Casco, Clara

    2017-01-01

    Amblyopic observers present abnormal spatial interactions between a low-contrast sinusoidal target and high-contrast collinear flankers. It has been demonstrated that perceptual learning (PL) can modulate these low-level lateral interactions, resulting in improved visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. We measured the extent and duration of generalization effects to various spatial tasks (i.e., visual acuity, Vernier acuity, and foveal crowding) through PL on the target's contrast detection. Amblyopic observers were trained on a contrast-detection task for a central target (i.e., a Gabor patch) flanked above and below by two high-contrast Gabor patches. The pre- and post-learning tasks included lateral interactions at different target-to-flankers separations (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 8λ) and included a range of spatial frequencies and stimulus durations as well as visual acuity, Vernier acuity, contrast-sensitivity function, and foveal crowding. The results showed that perceptual training reduced the target's contrast-detection thresholds more for the longest target-to-flanker separation (i.e., 8λ). We also found generalization of PL to different stimuli and tasks: contrast sensitivity for both trained and untrained spatial frequencies, visual acuity for Sloan letters, and foveal crowding, and partially for Vernier acuity. Follow-ups after 5-7 months showed not only complete maintenance of PL effects on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity function but also further improvement in these tasks. These results suggest that PL improves facilitatory lateral interactions in amblyopic observers, which usually extend over larger separations than in typical foveal vision. The improvement in these basic visual spatial operations leads to a more efficient capability of performing spatial tasks involving high levels of visual processing, possibly due to the refinement of bottom-up and top-down networks of visual areas.

  18. VALIDITATION OF A LIGHT QUESTIONNAIRE WITH REAL-LIFE PHOTOPIC ILLUMINANCE MEASUREMENTS: THE HARVARD LIGHT EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE

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    Bajaj, Archna; Rosner, Bernard; Lockley, Steven; Schernhammer, Eva S.

    2011-01-01

    Background Light exposure at night is now considered a probable carcinogen. To study the effects of light on chronic diseases like cancer, methods to measure light exposure in large observational studies are needed. We aimed to investigate the validity of self-reported current light exposure. Methods We developed a self-administered semiquantitative light questionnaire, the Harvard Light Exposure Assessment (H-LEA) questionnaire, and compared photopic scores derived from this questionnaire with actual photopic and circadian measures obtained from a real-life 7-day light meter application among 132 women (85 rotating night shift workers and 47 day workers) participating in the Nurses' Health Study II. Results After adjustment for age, BMI, collection day, and night work status, the overall partial Spearman correlation between self-report of light exposure and actual photopic light measurements was 0.72 (P<0.001; Kendall τ =0.57) and 0.73 (P<0.0001; Kendall τ =0.58) when correlating circadian light measurements. There were only minimal differences in accuracy of self-report of light exposure and photopic or circadian light measurement between day (r=0.77 and 0.78, respectively) and rotating night shift workers (r=0.68 and 0.69, respectively). Conclusions The results of this study provide evidence of the criterion validity of self-reported light exposure using the H-LEA questionnaire. Impact: This questionnaire is a practical method of assessing light exposure in large scale epidemiologic studies. PMID:21737411

  19. The Joint Effects of Spatial Cueing and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Visual Acuity

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    Taly Bonder

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The present study examined the mutual influence of cortical neuroenhancement and allocation of spatial attention on perception. Specifically, it explored the effects of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS on visual acuity measured with a Landolt gap task and attentional precues. The exogenous cues were used to draw attention either to the location of the target or away from it, generating significant performance benefits and costs. Anodal tDCS applied to posterior occipital area for 15 min improved performance during stimulation, reflecting heightened visual acuity. Reaction times were lower, and accuracy was higher in the tDCS group, compared to a sham control group. Additionally, in post-stimulation trials tDCS significantly interacted with the effect of precuing. Reaction times were lower in valid cued trials (benefit and higher in invalid trials (cost compared to neutrally cued trials, the effect which was pronounced stronger in tDCS group than in sham control group. The increase of cost and benefit effects in the tDCS group was of a similar magnitude, suggesting that anodal tDCS influenced the overall process of attention orienting. The observed interaction between the stimulation of the visual cortex and precueing indicates a magnification of attention modulation.

  20. Selective spatial enhancement: Attentional spotlight size impacts spatial but not temporal perception.

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    Goodhew, Stephanie C; Shen, Elizabeth; Edwards, Mark

    2016-08-01

    An important but often neglected aspect of attention is how changes in the attentional spotlight size impact perception. The zoom-lens model predicts that a small ("focal") attentional spotlight enhances all aspects of perception relative to a larger ("diffuse" spotlight). However, based on the physiological properties of the two major classes of visual cells (magnocellular and parvocellular neurons) we predicted trade-offs in spatial and temporal acuity as a function of spotlight size. Contrary to both of these accounts, however, across two experiments we found that attentional spotlight size affected spatial acuity, such that spatial acuity was enhanced for a focal relative to a diffuse spotlight, whereas the same modulations in spotlight size had no impact on temporal acuity. This likely reflects the function of attention: to induce the high spatial resolution of the fovea in periphery, where spatial resolution is poor but temporal resolution is good. It is adaptive, therefore, for the attentional spotlight to enhance spatial acuity, whereas enhancing temporal acuity does not confer the same benefit.

  1. Variation of contrast sensitivity after femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis in changes environments

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    Jing Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To evaluate the difference of contrast sensitivity(CSin photopic and scotopic environments in eyes with myopia and myopic astigmatism operated with femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis(femto-LASIKand laser in situ keratomileusis(LASIK.METHODS: In a prospective study 160 myopia and myopic astigmatism patients' eyes were involved, which accepted femto-LASIK or LASIK in our hospital from January 2010 to February 2012. The myopia degree was -1.50~-10.00D, the astigmatism degree ≤-6.0D. Eighty eyes were treated with femto-LASIK in group A, and 80 eyes were treated with LASIK in group B, All patients in the treatment group completed the final 6mo of follow-up. The uncorrected visual acuity(UCVAand the best spectacle-corrected visual acuity(BSCVA, objective and manifest refractions, results of slit-lamp examination, the side effects, intraocular pressure, corneal topography, CS in photopic and scotopic environments were noted.RESULTS: All of operations on 160 cases were successful without severe complication after 6 mo follow-up. CS of femto-LASIK group(group Aat each spatial frequency environment were higher than that of LASIK group(group B. In group A, after 1mo the photopic CS, after 3mo of scotopic CS recovered to the preoperative level, 6mo after surgery improved than before the operation. In group B, after 3mo photopic CS to the preoperative level, scotopic CS at 6mo after operation was still not recovered to the preoperative level.CONCLUSION:Femto-LASIK for correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism, in improving the postoperative contrast sensitivity under shade environment has more advantages than LASIK.

  2. Optical and visual performance of aspheric soft contact lenses.

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    Efron, Suzanne; Efron, Nathan; Morgan, Philip B

    2008-03-01

    This study was conducted to investigate whether aspheric design soft contact lenses reduce ocular aberrations and result in better visual acuity and subjective appreciation of clinical performance compared with spherical soft contact lenses. A unilateral, double-masked, randomized and controlled study was undertaken in which ocular aberrations and high and low contrast logMAR visual acuity were measured on myopic subjects who wore aspheric design (Biomedics 55 Evolution, CooperVision) and spherical design (Biomedics 55, CooperVision) soft contact lenses. Ten subjects who had about -2.00 D myopia wore -2.00 D lenses and 10 subjects who had about -5.00 D myopia wore -5.00 D lenses. Measurements were made under photopic and mesopic lighting conditions. Subjects were invited to grade comfort, vision in photopic and mesopic conditions, and overall impression with the two lens types on 100 unit visual analogue scales. There was no significant difference in high contrast or low contrast visual acuity between the two lens designs of either power under photopic or mesopic conditions. Both lens designs displayed lower levels of spherical aberration compared with the "no lens" condition under photopic and mesopic light levels (p designs. There were no statistically significant differences in subjective appreciation of clinical performance between lens designs or lens powers. At least with respect to the brand of lenses tested, the fitting of aspheric design soft contact lenses does not result in superior visual acuity, aberration control, or subjective appreciation compared with equivalent spherical design soft contact lenses.

  3. Retention of high tactile acuity throughout the life span in blindness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Legge, Gordon E; Madison, Cindee; Vaughn, Brenna N; Cheong, Allen M Y; Miller, Joseph C

    2008-11-01

    Previous studies of tactile acuity on the fingertip, using passive touch, have demonstrated an age-related decline in spatial resolution for both sighted and blind subjects. We have reexamined this age dependence with two newly designed tactile-acuity charts that require active exploration of the test symbols. One chart used dot patterns similar to braille, and the other used embossed Landolt rings. Groups of blind braille readers and sighted subjects ranging from 12 to 85 years old were tested in two experiments. We replicated previous findings for sighted subjects by showing an age-related decrease in tactile acuity by nearly 1% per year. Surprisingly, the blind subjects retained high acuity into old age, showing no age-related decline. For the blind subjects, tactile acuity did not correlate with braille reading speed, the amount of daily reading, or the age at which braille was learned. We conclude that when measured with active touch, blind subjects retain high tactile acuity into old age, unlike their aging sighted peers. We propose that blind people's use of active touch in daily activities, not specifically braille reading, results in preservation of tactile acuity across the life span.

  4. RETENTION OF HIGH TACTILE ACUITY THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN IN BLINDNESS

    OpenAIRE

    Legge, Gordon E.; Madison, Cindee; Vaughn, Brenna N.; Cheong, Allen M.Y.; Miller, Joseph C.

    2008-01-01

    Previous studies of tactile acuity on the fingertip using passive touch have demonstrated an age-related decline in spatial resolution for both sighted and blind subjects. We have re-examined this age dependence with two newly designed tactile-acuity charts requiring active exploration of the test symbols. One chart used dot patterns similar to Braille and the other used embossed Landolt rings. Groups of blind Braille readers and sighted subjects, ranging in age from 12 to 85 years, were test...

  5. Repeatability of visual acuity measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raasch, T W; Bailey, I L; Bullimore, M A

    1998-05-01

    This study investigates features of visual acuity chart design and acuity testing scoring methods which affect the validity and repeatability of visual acuity measurements. Visual acuity was measured using the Sloan and British Standard letter series, and Landolt rings. Identifiability of the different letters as a function of size was estimated, and expressed in the form of frequency-of-seeing curves. These functions were then used to simulate acuity measurements with a variety of chart designs and scoring criteria. Systematic relationships exist between chart design parameters and acuity score, and acuity score repeatability. In particular, an important feature of a chart, that largely determines the repeatability of visual acuity measurement, is the amount of size change attributed to each letter. The methods used to score visual acuity performance also affect repeatability. It is possible to evaluate acuity score validity and repeatability using the statistical principles discussed here.

  6. High visual acuity revealed in dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lind, Olle; Milton, Ida; Andersson, Elin; Jensen, Per; Roth, Lina S V

    2017-01-01

    Humans have selectively bred and used dogs over a period of thousands of years, and more recently the dog has become an important model animal for studies in ethology, cognition and genetics. These broad interests warrant careful descriptions of the senses of dogs. Still there is little known about dog vision, especially what dogs can discriminate in different light conditions. We trained and tested whippets, pugs, and a Shetland sheepdog in a two-choice discrimination set-up and show that dogs can discriminate patterns with spatial frequencies between 5.5 and 19.5 cycle per degree (cpd) in the bright light condition (43 cd m-2). This is a higher spatial resolution than has been previously reported although the individual variation in our tests was large. Humans tested in the same set-up reached acuities corresponding to earlier studies, ranging between 32.1 and 44.2 cpd. In the dim light condition (0.0087 cd m-2) the acuity of dogs ranged between 1.8 and 3.5 cpd while in humans, between 5.9 and 9.9 cpd. Thus, humans make visual discrimination of objects from roughly a threefold distance compared to dogs in both bright and dim light.

  7. High visual acuity revealed in dogs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olle Lind

    Full Text Available Humans have selectively bred and used dogs over a period of thousands of years, and more recently the dog has become an important model animal for studies in ethology, cognition and genetics. These broad interests warrant careful descriptions of the senses of dogs. Still there is little known about dog vision, especially what dogs can discriminate in different light conditions. We trained and tested whippets, pugs, and a Shetland sheepdog in a two-choice discrimination set-up and show that dogs can discriminate patterns with spatial frequencies between 5.5 and 19.5 cycle per degree (cpd in the bright light condition (43 cd m-2. This is a higher spatial resolution than has been previously reported although the individual variation in our tests was large. Humans tested in the same set-up reached acuities corresponding to earlier studies, ranging between 32.1 and 44.2 cpd. In the dim light condition (0.0087 cd m-2 the acuity of dogs ranged between 1.8 and 3.5 cpd while in humans, between 5.9 and 9.9 cpd. Thus, humans make visual discrimination of objects from roughly a threefold distance compared to dogs in both bright and dim light.

  8. Lrit1, a Retinal Transmembrane Protein, Regulates Selective Synapse Formation in Cone Photoreceptor Cells and Visual Acuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akiko Ueno

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Summary: In the vertebrate retina, cone photoreceptors play crucial roles in photopic vision by transmitting light-evoked signals to ON- and/or OFF-bipolar cells. However, the mechanisms underlying selective synapse formation in the cone photoreceptor pathway remain poorly understood. Here, we found that Lrit1, a leucine-rich transmembrane protein, localizes to the photoreceptor synaptic terminal and regulates the synaptic connection between cone photoreceptors and cone ON-bipolar cells. Lrit1-deficient retinas exhibit an aberrant morphology of cone photoreceptor pedicles, as well as an impairment of signal transmission from cone photoreceptors to cone ON-bipolar cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Lrit1 interacts with Frmpd2, a photoreceptor scaffold protein, and with mGluR6, an ON-bipolar cell-specific glutamate receptor. Additionally, Lrit1-null mice showed visual acuity impairments in their optokinetic responses. These results suggest that the Frmpd2-Lrit1-mGluR6 axis regulates selective synapse formation in cone photoreceptors and is essential for normal visual function. : Ueno et al. finds that Lrit1 plays an important role in regulating the synaptic connection between cone photoreceptors and cone ON-bipolar cells. The Frmpd2-Lrit1-mGluR6 axis is crucial for selective synapse formation in cone photoreceptors and for development of normal visual function. Keywords: retina, circuit, synapse formation, cone photoreceptor cell, ON-bipolar cell, visual acuity

  9. Desktop publishing and validation of custom near visual acuity charts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marran, Lynn; Liu, Lei; Lau, George

    2008-11-01

    Customized visual acuity (VA) assessment is an important part of basic and clinical vision research. Desktop computer based distance VA measurements have been utilized, and shown to be accurate and reliable, but computer based near VA measurements have not been attempted, mainly due to the limited spatial resolution of computer monitors. In this paper, we demonstrate how to use desktop publishing to create printed custom near VA charts. We created a set of six near VA charts in a logarithmic progression, 20/20 through 20/63, with multiple lines of the same acuity level, different letter arrangements in each line and a random noise background. This design allowed repeated measures of subjective accommodative amplitude without the potential artifact of familiarity of the optotypes. The background maintained a constant and spatial frequency rich peripheral stimulus for accommodation across the six different acuity levels. The paper describes in detail how pixel-wise accurate black and white bitmaps of Sloan optotypes were used to create the printed custom VA charts. At all acuity levels, the physical sizes of the printed custom optotypes deviated no more than 0.034 log units from that of the standard, satisfying the 0.05 log unit ISO criterion we used to demonstrate physical equivalence. Also, at all acuity levels, log unit differences in the mean target distance for which reliable recognition of letters first occurred for the printed custom optotypes compared to the standard were found to be below 0.05, satisfying the 0.05 log unit ISO criterion we used to demonstrate functional equivalence. It is possible to use desktop publishing to create custom near VA charts that are physically and functionally equivalent to standard VA charts produced by a commercial printing process.

  10. Lrit1, a Retinal Transmembrane Protein, Regulates Selective Synapse Formation in Cone Photoreceptor Cells and Visual Acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ueno, Akiko; Omori, Yoshihiro; Sugita, Yuko; Watanabe, Satoshi; Chaya, Taro; Kozuka, Takashi; Kon, Tetsuo; Yoshida, Satoyo; Matsushita, Kenji; Kuwahara, Ryusuke; Kajimura, Naoko; Okada, Yasushi; Furukawa, Takahisa

    2018-03-27

    In the vertebrate retina, cone photoreceptors play crucial roles in photopic vision by transmitting light-evoked signals to ON- and/or OFF-bipolar cells. However, the mechanisms underlying selective synapse formation in the cone photoreceptor pathway remain poorly understood. Here, we found that Lrit1, a leucine-rich transmembrane protein, localizes to the photoreceptor synaptic terminal and regulates the synaptic connection between cone photoreceptors and cone ON-bipolar cells. Lrit1-deficient retinas exhibit an aberrant morphology of cone photoreceptor pedicles, as well as an impairment of signal transmission from cone photoreceptors to cone ON-bipolar cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Lrit1 interacts with Frmpd2, a photoreceptor scaffold protein, and with mGluR6, an ON-bipolar cell-specific glutamate receptor. Additionally, Lrit1-null mice showed visual acuity impairments in their optokinetic responses. These results suggest that the Frmpd2-Lrit1-mGluR6 axis regulates selective synapse formation in cone photoreceptors and is essential for normal visual function. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Visual acuity test

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003396.htm Visual acuity test To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. The visual acuity test is used to determine the smallest ...

  12. Comparison of visual function and patient satisfaction with AcrySof ReSTORSN6AD1 multifocal intraocular compared to monofocal intraocular lenses 5

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aisa S Alchinova

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To compare visual function and satisfaction in patients after implantation of AcrySof ReSTOR SN6AD1 multifocal intraocular lens (IOL, AcrySof SA60AТ spherical monofocal IOL, or Akreos АО aspheric monofocal IOL during cataract surgery. Materials. Overall, 34 patients received SN6AD1 multifocal (group 1, 48 eyes, 19 patients received Akreos АО monofocal aspheric (group 2, 30 eyes, and 13 patients received AcrySof SA60AТ monofocal spherical (group 3, 18 eyes IOL. Patients with multifocal IOL were closely matched for age, sex, and ocular findings with patients who had monofocal IOL implantation. Six months postoperatively, uncorrected/corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA/CDVA, uncorrected intermediate (60 cm and near (35 cm visual acuity (UNVA, defocus curve, contrast sensitivity, and a quality-of-life questionnaire were evaluated. Furthermore, independence from glasses and presence of optical phenomena were assessed. Results. Patients in group 2 had statistically significant increase in UDVA than that in group 1 (p = 0.037. There was no significant difference in the mean uncorrected intermediate and best corrected distance visual acuities between the groups. UNVA was better in group 1 than that in groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.0001. Photopic contrast sensitivity for high spatial frequencies was better in groups 2 and 3. Glare was reported in 5.9% of patients in group 1. Halos occurred in 32.4% of patients in group 1. No one reported undesirable visual symptoms in groups 2 and 3. Conclusion. Multifocal IOLs provided higher spectacle independence and satisfactory functional vision over a broad range of distances but were associated with increased subjective visual symptoms and reduced photopic contrast sensitivity for high spatial frequencies and distance visual quality compared with monofocal IOLs.

  13. 38 CFR 4.76 - Visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... DISABILITIES Disability Ratings The Organs of Special Sense § 4.76 Visual acuity. (a) Examination of visual acuity. Examination of visual acuity must include the central uncorrected and corrected visual acuity for... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Visual acuity. 4.76...

  14. Grating-acuity in children. Normal values of visual acuity in children up to 13 years as assessed by the acuity card procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schenk-Rootlieb, A J; van Nieuwenhuizen, O; van Zoggel, J; van der Graaf, Y; Willemse, J

    1992-09-01

    The acuity card procedure proved to be a useful method for assessing visual acuity in children. Normal values of visual acuity measured by this method had already been assessed in children up to four years. To enable application of the test in older children this study obtained values in a group of 396 normal children, aged three months to 13 years. The mean curve as well as the 10th centile was calculated in different age groups. A considerable variation of acuity values causing a 'dip' in the 10th centile was found in the ages 18 to 24 months. A smaller 'dip' was found in the ages 48 to 52 months. This has to be attributed to behavioural properties connected with age. The results obtained in the group of children under four years of age corresponded fairly well with other studies. In schoolchildren a fair agreement could also be found between the data obtained using the acuity card procedure and the data obtained with the Landolt-C rings. Obtaining normal values for the acuity card procedure in children covering a wide age range facilitates recognition of visual handicap in children who are difficult to assess.

  15. Metformin Impairs Spatial Memory and Visual Acuity in Old Male Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangthaeng, Nopporn; Rutledge, Margaret; Wong, Jessica M; Vann, Philip H; Forster, Michael J; Sumien, Nathalie

    2017-02-01

    Metformin is an oral anti-diabetic used as first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes. Because benefits of metformin extend beyond diabetes to other age-related pathology, and because its effect on gene expression profiles resembles that of caloric restriction, metformin has a potential as an anti-aging intervention and may soon be assessed as an intervention to extend healthspan. However, beneficial actions of metformin in the central nervous system have not been clearly established. The current study examined the effect of chronic oral metformin treatment on motor and cognitive function when initiated in young, middle-aged, or old male mice. C57BL/6 mice aged 4, 11, or 22 months were randomly assigned to either a metformin group (2 mg/ml in drinking water) or a control group. The mice were monitored weekly for body weight, as well as food and water intake and a battery of behavioral tests for motor, cognitive and visual function was initiated after the first month of treatment. Liver, hippocampus and cortex were collected at the end of the study to assess redox homeostasis. Overall, metformin supplementation in male mice failed to affect blood glucose, body weights and redox homeostasis at any age. It also had no beneficial effect on age-related declines in psychomotor, cognitive or sensory functions. However, metformin treatment had a deleterious effect on spatial memory and visual acuity, and reduced SOD activity in brain regions. These data confirm that metformin treatment may be associated with deleterious effect resulting from the action of metformin on the central nervous system.

  16. Assessment of Grating Acuity in Infants and Toddlers Using an Electronic Acuity Card: The Dobson Card.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohan, Kathleen M; Miller, Joseph M; Harvey, Erin M; Gerhart, Kimberly D; Apple, Howard P; Apple, Deborah; Smith, Jordana M; Davis, Amy L; Leonard-Green, Tina; Campus, Irene; Dennis, Leslie K

    2016-01-01

    To determine if testing binocular visual acuity in infants and toddlers using the Acuity Card Procedure (ACP) with electronic grating stimuli yields clinically useful data. Participants were infants and toddlers ages 5 to 36.7 months referred by pediatricians due to failed automated vision screening. The ACP was used to test binocular grating acuity. Stimuli were presented on the Dobson Card. The Dobson Card consists of a handheld matte-black plexiglass frame with two flush-mounted tablet computers and is similar in size and form to commercially available printed grating acuity testing stimuli (Teller Acuity Cards II [TACII]; Stereo Optical, Inc., Chicago, IL). On each trial, one tablet displayed a square-wave grating and the other displayed a luminance-matched uniform gray patch. Stimuli were roughly equivalent to the stimuli available in the printed TACII stimuli. After acuity testing, each child received a cycloplegic eye examination. Based on cycloplegic retinoscopy, patients were categorized as having high or low refractive error per American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus vision screening referral criteria. Mean acuities for high and low refractive error groups were compared using analysis of covariance, controlling for age. Mean visual acuity was significantly poorer in children with high refractive error than in those with low refractive error (P = .015). Electronic stimuli presented using the ACP can yield clinically useful measurements of grating acuity in infants and toddlers. Further research is needed to determine the optimal conditions and procedures for obtaining accurate and clinically useful automated measurements of visual acuity in infants and toddlers. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  17. Contrast sensitivity after refractive lens exchange with a multifocal diffractive aspheric intraocular lens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresa Ferrer-Blasco

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To evaluate distance and near contrast sensitivity (CS under photopic and mesopic conditions before and after refractive lens exchange (RLE and implantation of the aspheric AcrySof®ReSTOR® (SN6AD3 model intraocular lens (IOL. METHODS:Seventy-four eyes of 37 patients after RLE underwent bilateral implantation with the aspheric AcrySof ReSTOR IOL. The patient sample was divided into myopic and hyperopic groups. Monocular uncorrected visual acuity at distance and near (UCVA and UCNVA, respectively and monocular best corrected visual acuity at distance and near (BCVA and BCNVA, respectively were measured before and 6 months postoperatively. Monocular CS function was measured at three different luminance levels (85, 5 and 2.5 cd/m² before and after RLE. Post-implantation results at 6 months were compared with those found before surgery. RESULTS: Our results revealed that patients in both groups obtained good UCVA and BCVA after RLE at distance and near vision in relation to pre-surgery values. No statistically significant differences were found between the values of CS pre and post-RLE at distance and near, at any lighting condition and spatial frequency (p>0.002. CONCLUSIONS: Refractive lens exchange with aspheric AcrySof ReSTOR IOL in myopic and hyperopic population provided good visual function and yield good distance and near CS under photopic and mesopic conditions.

  18. Higher-order aberrations and visual acuity after LASEK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urgancioglu, Berrak; Bilgihan, Kamil; Ozturk, Sertac

    2008-08-01

    To determine ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in eyes with supernormal vision after myopic astigmatic laser subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) and to compare the findings with those in eyes with natural supernormal vision. Ocular HOAs were measured after LASEK in 20 eyes of 12 myopic astigmatic patients with postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of >20/16 (group 1). Patients who were included in the study had no visual symptoms like glare, halo or double vision. The measurements were taken 8.3 +/- 3 months after LASEK surgery. In group 2 ocular HOAs were examined in 20 eyes of 10 subjects with natural UCVA of >20/16 as a control. Measurements were taken across a pupil with a diameter of 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm. Root-mean-square (RMS) values of HOAs, Z(3)-1, Z(3)1, Z(4)0, Z(5)-1, Z(5)1 and Z(6)0 were analyzed. The mean RMS values for each order were higher in group 1 when compared with group 2 at 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm pupil diameters. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in spherical and coma aberrations (P > 0.05). Mean RMS values for total HOAs were 0.187 +/- 0.09 microm at 4.0 mm and 0.438 +/- 0.178 microm at 6.0 mm pupil in group 1 and 0.120 +/- 0.049 microm at 4.0 mm and 0.344 +/- 0.083 microm at 6.0 mm pupil in group 2. The difference between groups in total HOAs was statistically significant at 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm pupil diameters (P < 0.05). Ocular HOAs exist in eyes with supernormal vision. After LASEK, the amount of HOAs of the eye increases under both mesopic and photopic conditions. However the amount of HOA increase does not seem to be consistent with visual symptoms.

  19. Correlation between contrast sensitivity and visual acuity in retinitis pigmentosa patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akeo, Kiyoshi; Hiida, Yoshiki; Saga, Masamichi; Inoue, Rikako; Oguchi, Yoshihisa

    2002-01-01

    High-contrast figures such as Landolt rings are insufficient to evaluate the function of the foveal cones of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients. We investigated the correlation between visual function as determined with Landolt rings and with the Vistech Contrast Sensitivity Function Test (VCTS) at various spatial frequencies, in addition to the Cambridge Low Contrast Grating (CLCG). The study included 30 retinitis pigmentosa patients (53 eyes). All patients were assessed with Landolt rings, the Vistech method, and the CLCG. We estimated the relative contribution of contrast sensitivity to visual acuity by VCTS at each spatial frequency and by CLCG by simple linear regression analysis. The results of the regression analysis of VCTS at 1.5, 3.0, and 6.0 cycles/degree showed a significant correlation between Landolt rings and VCTS and between CLCG and VCTS that was strongest at 6.0 cycles/degree. There was no significant correlation between Landolt rings and VCTS or between CLCG and VCTS at 12.0 and 18.0 cycles/degree. Patients with a visual acuity of 20/25 and CLCG greater than 100 were divided into two groups according to their contrast sensitivity at 18.0 cycles/degree on VCTS. The VCTS at the highest frequency was useful for evaluating the foveal visual function in RP patients having good visual acuity with the Landolt rings. Thus, contrast sensitivity should be useful in detecting minute impairment or improvement of visual function in RP. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

  20. Indoor Spatial Updating with Reduced Visual Information

    OpenAIRE

    Legge, Gordon E.; Gage, Rachel; Baek, Yihwa; Bochsler, Tiana M.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Spatial updating refers to the ability to keep track of position and orientation while moving through an environment. People with impaired vision may be less accurate in spatial updating with adverse consequences for indoor navigation. In this study, we asked how artificial restrictions on visual acuity and field size affect spatial updating, and also judgments of the size of rooms. Methods Normally sighted young adults were tested with artificial restriction of acuity in Mild Blur (S...

  1. Photovoltaic restoration of sight with high visual acuity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorach, Henri; Goetz, Georges; Smith, Richard; Lei, Xin; Mandel, Yossi; Kamins, Theodore; Mathieson, Keith; Huie, Philip; Harris, James; Sher, Alexander; Palanker, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Patients with retinal degeneration lose sight due to gradual demise of photoreceptors. Electrical stimulation of the surviving retinal neurons provides an alternative route for delivery of visual information. We demonstrate that subretinal arrays with 70 μm photovoltaic pixels provide highly localized stimulation, with electrical and visual receptive fields of comparable sizes in rat retinal ganglion cells. Similarly to normal vision, retinal response to prosthetic stimulation exhibits flicker fusion at high frequencies, adaptation to static images and non-linear spatial summation. In rats with retinal degeneration, these photovoltaic arrays provide spatial resolution of 64 ± 11 μm, corresponding to half of the normal visual acuity in pigmented rats. Ease of implantation of these wireless and modular arrays, combined with their high resolution opens the door to functional restoration of sight. PMID:25915832

  2. Assessing the Contribution of the Oscillatory Potentials to the Genesis of the Photopic ERG with the Discrete Wavelet Transform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauvin, Mathieu; Dorfman, Allison L; Trang, Nataly; Gauthier, Mercedes; Little, John M; Lina, Jean-Marc; Lachapelle, Pierre

    2016-01-01

    The electroretinogram (ERG) is composed of slow (i.e., a-, b-waves) and fast (i.e., oscillatory potentials: OPs) components. OPs have been shown to be preferably affected in some diseases (such as diabetic retinopathy), while the a- and b-waves remain relatively intact. The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of OPs to the building of the ERG and to examine whether a signal mostly composed of OPs could also exist. DWT analyses were performed on photopic ERGs (flash intensities: -2.23 to 2.64 log cd·s·m -2 in 21 steps) obtained from normal subjects ( n = 40) and patients ( n = 21) affected with a retinopathy. In controls, the %OP value (i.e., OPs energy/ERG energy) is stimulus- and amplitude-independent (range: 56.6-61.6%; CV = 6.3%). In contrast, the %OPs measured from the ERGs of our patients varied significantly more (range: 35.4%-89.2%; p pathology, some presenting with ERGs that are almost solely composed of OPs. In conclusion, patients may present with a wide range of %OP values. Findings herein also support the hypothesis that, in certain conditions, the photopic ERG can be mostly composed of high-frequency components.

  3. Assessing the Contribution of the Oscillatory Potentials to the Genesis of the Photopic ERG with the Discrete Wavelet Transform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathieu Gauvin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The electroretinogram (ERG is composed of slow (i.e., a-, b-waves and fast (i.e., oscillatory potentials: OPs components. OPs have been shown to be preferably affected in some diseases (such as diabetic retinopathy, while the a- and b-waves remain relatively intact. The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of OPs to the building of the ERG and to examine whether a signal mostly composed of OPs could also exist. DWT analyses were performed on photopic ERGs (flash intensities: −2.23 to 2.64 log cd·s·m−2 in 21 steps obtained from normal subjects (n=40 and patients (n=21 affected with a retinopathy. In controls, the %OP value (i.e., OPs energy/ERG energy is stimulus- and amplitude-independent (range: 56.6–61.6%; CV = 6.3%. In contrast, the %OPs measured from the ERGs of our patients varied significantly more (range: 35.4%–89.2%; p<0.05 depending on the pathology, some presenting with ERGs that are almost solely composed of OPs. In conclusion, patients may present with a wide range of %OP values. Findings herein also support the hypothesis that, in certain conditions, the photopic ERG can be mostly composed of high-frequency components.

  4. The Sclerotic Scatter Limbal Arc Is More Easily Elicited under Mesopic Rather Than Photopic Conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric Denion

    Full Text Available We aimed to determine the limbal lighting illuminance thresholds (LLITs required to trigger perception of sclerotic scatter at the opposite non-illuminated limbus (i.e. perception of a light limbal scleral arc under different levels of ambient lighting illuminance (ALI.Twenty healthy volunteers were enrolled. The iris shade (light or dark was graded by retrieving the median value of the pixels of a pre-determined zone of a gray-level iris photograph. Mean keratometry and central corneal pachymetry were recorded. Each subject was asked to lie down, and the ALI at eye level was set to mesopic values (10, 20, 40 lux, then photopic values (60, 80, 100, 150, 200 lux. For each ALI level, a light beam of gradually increasing illuminance was applied to the right temporal limbus until the LLIT was reached, i.e. the level required to produce the faint light arc that is characteristic of sclerotic scatter at the nasal limbus.After log-log transformation, a linear relationship between the logarithm of ALI and the logarithm of the LLIT was found (p<0.001, a 10% increase in ALI being associated with an average increase in the LLIT of 28.9%. Higher keratometry values were associated with higher LLIT values (p = 0.008 under low ALI levels, but the coefficient of the interaction was very small, representing a very limited effect. Iris shade and central corneal thickness values were not significantly associated with the LLIT. We also developed a censored linear model for ALI values ≤ 40 lux, showing a linear relationship between ALI and the LLIT, in which the LLIT value was 34.4 times greater than the ALI value.Sclerotic scatter is more easily elicited under mesopic conditions than under photopic conditions and requires the LLIT value to be much higher than the ALI value, i.e. it requires extreme contrast.

  5. Distinct eye movement patterns enhance dynamic visual acuity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palidis, Dimitrios J.; Wyder-Hodge, Pearson A.; Fooken, Jolande; Spering, Miriam

    2017-01-01

    Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is the ability to resolve fine spatial detail in dynamic objects during head fixation, or in static objects during head or body rotation. This ability is important for many activities such as ball sports, and a close relation has been shown between DVA and sports expertise. DVA tasks involve eye movements, yet, it is unclear which aspects of eye movements contribute to successful performance. Here we examined the relation between DVA and the kinematics of smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements in a cohort of 23 varsity baseball players. In a computerized dynamic-object DVA test, observers reported the location of the gap in a small Landolt-C ring moving at various speeds while eye movements were recorded. Smooth pursuit kinematics—eye latency, acceleration, velocity gain, position error—and the direction and amplitude of saccadic eye movements were linked to perceptual performance. Results reveal that distinct eye movement patterns—minimizing eye position error, tracking smoothly, and inhibiting reverse saccades—were related to dynamic visual acuity. The close link between eye movement quality and DVA performance has important implications for the development of perceptual training programs to improve DVA. PMID:28187157

  6. Distinct eye movement patterns enhance dynamic visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palidis, Dimitrios J; Wyder-Hodge, Pearson A; Fooken, Jolande; Spering, Miriam

    2017-01-01

    Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is the ability to resolve fine spatial detail in dynamic objects during head fixation, or in static objects during head or body rotation. This ability is important for many activities such as ball sports, and a close relation has been shown between DVA and sports expertise. DVA tasks involve eye movements, yet, it is unclear which aspects of eye movements contribute to successful performance. Here we examined the relation between DVA and the kinematics of smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements in a cohort of 23 varsity baseball players. In a computerized dynamic-object DVA test, observers reported the location of the gap in a small Landolt-C ring moving at various speeds while eye movements were recorded. Smooth pursuit kinematics-eye latency, acceleration, velocity gain, position error-and the direction and amplitude of saccadic eye movements were linked to perceptual performance. Results reveal that distinct eye movement patterns-minimizing eye position error, tracking smoothly, and inhibiting reverse saccades-were related to dynamic visual acuity. The close link between eye movement quality and DVA performance has important implications for the development of perceptual training programs to improve DVA.

  7. Photometric Compliance of Tablet Screens and Retro-Illuminated Acuity Charts As Visual Acuity Measurement Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Livingstone, I A T; Tarbert, C M; Giardini, M E; Bastawrous, A; Middleton, D; Hamilton, R

    2016-01-01

    Mobile technology is increasingly used to measure visual acuity. Standards for chart-based acuity tests specify photometric requirements for luminance, optotype contrast and luminance uniformity. Manufacturers provide some photometric data but little is known about tablet performance for visual acuity testing. This study photometrically characterised seven tablet computers (iPad, Apple inc.) and three ETDRS (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study) visual acuity charts with room lights on and off, and compared findings with visual acuity measurement standards. Tablet screen luminance and contrast were measured using nine points across a black and white checkerboard test screen at five arbitrary brightness levels. ETDRS optotypes and adjacent white background luminance and contrast were measured. All seven tablets (room lights off) exceeded the most stringent requirement for mean luminance (≥ 120 cd/m2) providing the nominal brightness setting was above 50%. All exceeded contrast requirement (Weber ≥ 90%) regardless of brightness setting, and five were marginally below the required luminance uniformity threshold (Lmin/Lmax ≥ 80%). Re-assessing three tablets with room lights on made little difference to mean luminance or contrast, and improved luminance uniformity to exceed the threshold. The three EDTRS charts (room lights off) had adequate mean luminance (≥ 120 cd/m2) and Weber contrast (≥ 90%), but all three charts failed to meet the luminance uniformity standard (Lmin/Lmax ≥ 80%). Two charts were operating beyond manufacturer's recommended lamp replacement schedule. With room lights on, chart mean luminance and Weber contrast increased, but two charts still had inadequate luminance uniformity. Tablet computers showed less inter-device variability, higher contrast, and better luminance uniformity than charts in both lights-on and lights-off environments, providing brightness setting was >50%. Overall, iPad tablets matched or marginally out

  8. Photometric Compliance of Tablet Screens and Retro-Illuminated Acuity Charts As Visual Acuity Measurement Devices.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I A T Livingstone

    Full Text Available Mobile technology is increasingly used to measure visual acuity. Standards for chart-based acuity tests specify photometric requirements for luminance, optotype contrast and luminance uniformity. Manufacturers provide some photometric data but little is known about tablet performance for visual acuity testing. This study photometrically characterised seven tablet computers (iPad, Apple inc. and three ETDRS (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuity charts with room lights on and off, and compared findings with visual acuity measurement standards. Tablet screen luminance and contrast were measured using nine points across a black and white checkerboard test screen at five arbitrary brightness levels. ETDRS optotypes and adjacent white background luminance and contrast were measured. All seven tablets (room lights off exceeded the most stringent requirement for mean luminance (≥ 120 cd/m2 providing the nominal brightness setting was above 50%. All exceeded contrast requirement (Weber ≥ 90% regardless of brightness setting, and five were marginally below the required luminance uniformity threshold (Lmin/Lmax ≥ 80%. Re-assessing three tablets with room lights on made little difference to mean luminance or contrast, and improved luminance uniformity to exceed the threshold. The three EDTRS charts (room lights off had adequate mean luminance (≥ 120 cd/m2 and Weber contrast (≥ 90%, but all three charts failed to meet the luminance uniformity standard (Lmin/Lmax ≥ 80%. Two charts were operating beyond manufacturer's recommended lamp replacement schedule. With room lights on, chart mean luminance and Weber contrast increased, but two charts still had inadequate luminance uniformity. Tablet computers showed less inter-device variability, higher contrast, and better luminance uniformity than charts in both lights-on and lights-off environments, providing brightness setting was >50%. Overall, iPad tablets matched or marginally out

  9. Tactile spatial resolution in blind braille readers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Boven, R W; Hamilton, R H; Kauffman, T; Keenan, J P; Pascual-Leone, A

    2000-06-27

    To determine if blind people have heightened tactile spatial acuity. Recently, studies using magnetic source imaging and somatosensory evoked potentials have shown that the cortical representation of the reading fingers of blind Braille readers is expanded compared to that of fingers of sighted subjects. Furthermore, the visual cortex is activated during certain tactile tasks in blind subjects but not sighted subjects. The authors hypothesized that the expanded cortical representation of fingers used in Braille reading may reflect an enhanced fidelity in the neural transmission of spatial details of a stimulus. If so, the quantitative limit of spatial acuity would be superior in blind people. The authors employed a grating orientation discrimination task in which threshold performance is accounted for by the spatial resolution limits of the neural image evoked by a stimulus. The authors quantified the psychophysical limits of spatial acuity at the middle and index fingers of 15 blind Braille readers and 15 sighted control subjects. The mean grating orientation threshold was significantly (p = 0.03) lower in the blind group (1.04 mm) compared to the sighted group (1.46 mm). The self-reported dominant reading finger in blind subjects had a mean grating orientation threshold of 0.80 mm, which was significantly better than other fingers tested. Thresholds at non-Braille reading fingers in blind subjects averaged 1.12 mm, which were also superior to sighted subjects' performances. Superior tactile spatial acuity in blind Braille readers may represent an adaptive, behavioral correlate of cortical plasticity.

  10. [Schoolchildren's visual acuity in the dynamics of learning].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bezrukikh, M M; Voinov, V B; Kul'ba, S N; Shurygina, I P

    2014-12-01

    The results of the screening study of the acuity of schoolchildren between 7 and 17 years old living in Rostov Region of the Russian Federation are discussed in the article. The method of computer optometry was used to measure acuity. 93772 pupils, 48621 girls and 45151 boys, from 150 schools participated in this examination. It was found that there is sustained growth of those with low acuity (0,2 and less) among children of both sexes from junior group (7 years) to the senior (17). The signs of the decline in visual acuity among girls (14%) are manifested earlier than in boys (8%). The decline in visual acuity among 7-8-year-old children is about 3%. While comparing children from rural areas with those from big cities a true dependence of the parameter (acuity) on the factors (city and sex) was found.

  11. Spectral optimization simulation of white light based on the photopic eye-sensitivity curve

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, Qi; Hao, Luoxi; Lin, Yi; Cui, Zhe

    2016-01-01

    Spectral optimization simulation of white light is studied to boost maximum attainable luminous efficacy of radiation at high color-rendering index (CRI) and various color temperatures. The photopic eye-sensitivity curve V(λ) is utilized as the dominant portion of white light spectra. Emission spectra of a blue InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) and a red AlInGaP LED are added to the spectrum of V(λ) to match white color coordinates. It is demonstrated that at the condition of color temperature from 2500 K to 6500 K and CRI above 90, such white sources can achieve spectral efficacy of 330–390 lm/W, which is higher than the previously reported theoretical maximum values. We show that this eye-sensitivity-based approach also has advantages on component energy conversion efficiency compared with previously reported optimization solutions

  12. Spectral optimization simulation of white light based on the photopic eye-sensitivity curve

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dai, Qi, E-mail: qidai@tongji.edu.cn [College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092 (China); Institute for Advanced Study, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092 (China); Key Laboratory of Ecology and Energy-saving Study of Dense Habitat (Tongji University), Ministry of Education, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092 (China); Hao, Luoxi; Lin, Yi; Cui, Zhe [College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092 (China); Key Laboratory of Ecology and Energy-saving Study of Dense Habitat (Tongji University), Ministry of Education, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092 (China)

    2016-02-07

    Spectral optimization simulation of white light is studied to boost maximum attainable luminous efficacy of radiation at high color-rendering index (CRI) and various color temperatures. The photopic eye-sensitivity curve V(λ) is utilized as the dominant portion of white light spectra. Emission spectra of a blue InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) and a red AlInGaP LED are added to the spectrum of V(λ) to match white color coordinates. It is demonstrated that at the condition of color temperature from 2500 K to 6500 K and CRI above 90, such white sources can achieve spectral efficacy of 330–390 lm/W, which is higher than the previously reported theoretical maximum values. We show that this eye-sensitivity-based approach also has advantages on component energy conversion efficiency compared with previously reported optimization solutions.

  13. Oscillatory activity in neocortical networks during tactile discrimination near the limit of spatial acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adhikari, Bhim M; Sathian, K; Epstein, Charles M; Lamichhane, Bidhan; Dhamala, Mukesh

    2014-05-01

    Oscillatory interactions within functionally specialized but distributed brain regions are believed to be central to perceptual and cognitive functions. Here, using human scalp electroencephalography (EEG) recordings combined with source reconstruction techniques, we study how oscillatory activity functionally organizes different neocortical regions during a tactile discrimination task near the limit of spatial acuity. While undergoing EEG recordings, blindfolded participants felt a linear three-dot array presented electromechanically, under computer control, and reported whether the central dot was offset to the left or right. The average brain response differed significantly for trials with correct and incorrect perceptual responses in the timeframe approximately between 130 and 175ms. During trials with correct responses, source-level peak activity appeared in the left primary somatosensory cortex (SI) at around 45ms, in the right lateral occipital complex (LOC) at 130ms, in the right posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS) at 160ms, and finally in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) at 175ms. Spectral interdependency analysis of activity in these nodes showed two distinct distributed networks, a dominantly feedforward network in the beta band (12-30Hz) that included all four nodes and a recurrent network in the gamma band (30-100Hz) that linked SI, pIPS and dlPFC. Measures of network activity in both bands were correlated with the accuracy of task performance. These findings suggest that beta and gamma band oscillatory networks coordinate activity between neocortical regions mediating sensory and cognitive processing to arrive at tactile perceptual decisions. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Efficacy of perceptual vision therapy in enhancing visual acuity and contrast sensitivity function in adult hypermetropic anisometropic amblyopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yalcin E

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Elvan Yalcin, Ozlem BalciWorld Eye Hospital, Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Istanbul, TurkeyBackground: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of neural vision therapy, also termed perceptual vision therapy, in enhancing best corrected visual acuity (BCVA and contrast sensitivity function in amblyopic patients.Methods: This prospective study enrolled 99 subjects previously diagnosed with unilateral hypermetropic amblyopia aged 9–50 years. The subjects were divided into two groups, with 53 subjects (53 eyes in the perceptual vision therapy group and 46 subjects (46 eyes in the control group. Because the nature of the treatment demands hard work and strict compliance, we enrolled the minimal number of subjects required to achieve statistically significant results. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. Study phases included a baseline screening, a series of 45 training sessions with perceptual vision therapy, and an end-of-treatment examination. BCVA and contrast sensitivity function at 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles per degree spatial frequencies were obtained for statistical analysis in both groups. All subjects had follow-up examinations within 4–8 months. With the exception of one subject from the study group and two subjects from the control group, all subjects had occlusion during childhood. The study was not masked.Results: The results for the study group demonstrated a mean improvement of 2.6 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR lines in visual acuity (from 0.42 to 0.16 logMAR. Contrast sensitivity function improved at 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles per degree spatial frequencies. The control group did not show any significant change in visual acuity or contrast sensitivity function. None of the treated eyes showed a drop in visual acuity. Manifest refractions remained unchanged during the study.Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrate the efficacy of perceptual vision therapy in

  15. Gains following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yehezkel, Oren; Sterkin, Anna; Lev, Maria; Levi, Dennis M; Polat, Uri

    2016-04-28

    The goal of the present study was to evaluate the dependence of perceptual learning gains on initial visual acuity (VA), in a large sample of subjects with a wide range of VAs. A large sample of normally sighted and presbyopic subjects (N = 119; aged 40 to 63) with a wide range of uncorrected near visual acuities (VA, -0.12 to 0.8 LogMAR), underwent perceptual learning. Training consisted of detecting briefly presented Gabor stimuli under spatial and temporal masking conditions. Consistent with previous findings, perceptual learning induced a significant improvement in near VA and reading speed under conditions of limited exposure duration. Our results show that the improvements in VA and reading speed observed following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial VA, with only a minor fraction of the observed improvement that may be attributed to the additional sessions performed by those with the worse VA.

  16. Color improves ‘visual’ acuity via sound

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shelly eLevy-Tzedek

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Visual-to-auditory sensory substitution devices (SSDs convey visual information via sound, with the primary goal of making visual information accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. We developed the EyeMusic SSD, which transforms shape, location and color information into musical notes. We tested the 'visual' acuity of 23 individuals (13 blind and 10 blindfolded sighted on the Snellen tumbling-E test, with the EyeMusic. Participants were asked to determine the orientation of the letter ‘E’. The test was repeated twice: in one test, the letter ‘E’ was drawn with a single color (white, and in the other test, with two colors (red and white. In the latter case, the vertical line in the letter, when upright, was drawn in red, with the three horizontal lines drawn in white. We found no significant differences in performance between the blind and the sighted groups. We found a significant effect of the added color on the ‘visual’ acuity. The highest acuity participants reached in the monochromatic test was 20/800, whereas with the added color, acuity doubled to 20/400. We conclude that color improves 'visual' acuity via sound.

  17. Visual acuity and stereoacuity among mentally retarded children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Letourneau, J E; Beaulne, C; Duplessis, L

    1992-12-01

    To evaluate the reliability and the validity of Landolt Rings and of the Frisby Test as measures of visual acuity and stereoacuity, respectively, the visual acuity of 30 mentally retarded children was measured with Landolt Rings shown as games, the Sjögren Test, the Dot Visual Acuity Test and stereoacuity with the Frisby Test. Subjects were tested 3 times over a period of 3 weeks to measure the reliability of the tests. No significant difference was observed among these tests. The validity of the Landolt Rings was measured by a correlation of .55 for the highest logMAR values of the Sjögren Test with the highest logMAR values of the Landolt Rings. Visual acuity was systematically lower on the Dot Visual Acuity Test. The Frisby Test was not reliable among a group of 16 normal children who improved systematically over 3 weeks.

  18. Relationship between macular pigment and visual function in subjects with early age-related macular degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akuffo, Kwadwo Owusu; Nolan, John M; Peto, Tunde; Stack, Jim; Leung, Irene; Corcoran, Laura; Beatty, Stephen

    2017-02-01

    To investigate the relationship between macular pigment (MP) and visual function in subjects with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 121 subjects with early AMD enrolled as part of the Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trial (CREST; ISRCTN13894787) were assessed using a range of psychophysical measures of visual function, including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), letter contrast sensitivity (CS), mesopic and photopic CS, mesopic and photopic glare disability (GD), photostress recovery time (PRT), reading performance and subjective visual function, using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25). MP was measured using customised heterochromatic flicker photometry. Letter CS, mesopic and photopic CS, photopic GD and mean reading speed were each significantly (p0.05, for all). MP relates positively to many measures of visual function in unsupplemented subjects with early AMD. The CREST trial will investigate whether enrichment of MP influences visual function among those afflicted with this condition. ISRCTN13894787. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  19. Comparison of visual outcomes after bilateral implantation of extended range of vision and trifocal intraocular lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Mesa, Ramón; Abengózar-Vela, Antonio; Aramburu, Ana; Ruiz-Santos, María

    2017-06-26

    To compare visual outcomes after cataract surgery with bilateral implantation of 2 intraocular lenses (IOLs): extended range of vision and trifocal. Each group of this prospective study comprised 40 eyes (20 patients). Phacoemulsification followed by bilateral implantation of a FineVision IOL (group 1) or a Symfony IOL (group 2) was performed. The following outcomes were assessed up to 1 year postoperatively: binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), binocular uncorrected intermediate visual acuity (UIVA) at 60 cm, binocular uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA) at 40 cm, spherical equivalent (SE) refraction, defocus curves, mesopic and photopic contrast sensitivity, halometry, posterior capsule opacification (PCO), and responses to a patient questionnaire. The mean binocular values in group 1 and group 2, respectively, were SE -0.15 ± 0.25 D and -0.19 ± 0.18 D; UDVA 0.01 ± 0.03 logMAR and 0.01 ± 0.02 logMAR; UIVA 0.11 ± 0.08 logMAR and 0.09 ± 0.08 logMAR; UNVA 0.06 ± 0.07 logMAR and 0.17 ± 0.06 logMAR. Difference in UNVA between IOLs (pvisual outcomes. The FineVision IOL showed better near visual acuity. Predictability of the refractive results and optical performance were excellent; all patients achieved spectacle independence. The 2 IOLs gave similar and good contrast sensitivity in photopic and mesopic conditions and low perception of halos by patients.

  20. 21 CFR 886.1150 - Visual acuity chart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Visual acuity chart. 886.1150 Section 886.1150 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES OPHTHALMIC DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 886.1150 Visual acuity chart. (a) Identification...

  1. Comparative study on optical performance and visual outcomes between two diffractive multifocal lenses: AMO Tecnis ® ZMB00 and AcrySof ® IQ ReSTOR ® Multifocal IOL SN6AD1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Augusto Pereira Dias Chaves

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Purpose: To compare the optical performance and visual outcomes between two diffractive multifocal lenses: AMO Tecnis® ZMB00 and AcrySof® ReSTOR® SN6AD1. Methods: This prospective, non-randomized comparative study included the assessment of 74 eyes in 37 patients referred for cataract surgery and candidates for multifocal intraocular lens implants. Exclusion criteria included existence of any other eye disease, previous eye surgery, high axial myopia, preoperative corneal astigmatism of >1.00 cylindrical diopter (D, and intraoperative or postoperative complications. Ophthalmological evaluation included the measurement of uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA, distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA, and distance-corrected intermediate visual acuity (DCIVA, with analysis of contrast sensitivity (CS, wavefront, and visual defocus curve. Results: Postoperative UDVA was 0.09 and 0.08 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.868; postoperative CDVA was 0.04 and 0.02 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.68; DCIVA was 0.17 and 0.54 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.000; and DCNVA was 0.04 and 0.09 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.001. In both cases, there was an improvement in the spherical equivalent and UDVA (p<0.05. Under photopic conditions, the SN6AD1 group had better CS at low frequencies without glare (p=0.04; however, the ZMB00 group achieved better sensitivity at high frequencies with glare (p=0.003. The SN6AD1 and ZMB00 lenses exhibited similar behavior for intermediate vision, according to the defocus curve; however, the ZMB00 group showed a shorter reading distance than the SN6AD1 group. There were no significant differences regarding aberrometry between the two groups. Conclusion: Both lenses promoted better quality of vision for both long and short distances and exhibited a similar behavior for

  2. Contributing factors to VEP grating acuity deficit and inter-ocular acuity difference in children with cerebral visual impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavascan, Nívea Nunes; Salomão, Solange Rios; Sacai, Paula Yuri; Pereira, Josenilson Martins; Rocha, Daniel Martins; Berezovsky, Adriana

    2014-04-01

    To investigate contributing factors to visual evoked potential (VEP) grating acuity deficit (GAD) and inter-ocular acuity difference (IAD) measured by sweep-VEPs in children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI). VEP GAD was calculated for the better acuity eye by subtracting acuity thresholds from mean normal VEP grating acuity according to norms from our own laboratory. Deficits were categorized as mild (0.17 ≤ deficit children (66 males-57 %) with ages ranging from 1.2 to 166.5 months (median = 17.7) was examined. VEP GAD ranged from 0.17 to 1.28 log units (mean = 0.68 ± 0.27; median = 0.71), and it was mild in 23 (20 %) children, moderate in 32 (28 %) and severe in 60 (52 %). Severe deficit was significantly associated with older age and anti-seizure drug therapy. IAD ranged from 0 to 0.49 log units (mean = 0.06 ± 0.08; median = 0.04) and was acceptable in 96 (83 %) children. Children with strabismus and nystagmus had IAD significantly larger compared to children with orthoposition. In a large cohort of children with CVI, variable severity of VEP GAD was found, with more than half of the children with severe deficits. Older children and those under anti-seizure therapy were at higher risk for larger deficits. Strabismus and nystagmus provided larger IADs. These results should be taken into account on the clinical management of children with this leading cause of bilateral visual impairment.

  3. Statistical characteristics of aberrations of human eyes after small incision lenticule extraction surgery and analysis of visual performance with individual eye model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Qiqi; Wang, Yan; Wang, Zhaoqi; Liu, Yongji; Zhang, Lin; Fang, Hui

    2015-09-01

    Preoperative and postoperative wavefront aberrations of 73 myopic eyes with small incision lenticule extraction surgery are analyzed in this paper. Twenty-eight postoperative individual eye models are constructed to investigate the visual acuity (VA) of human eyes. Results show that in photopic condition, residual defocus, residual astigmatism, and higher-order aberrations are relatively small. 100% of eyes reach a VA of 0.8 or better, and 89.3% of eyes reach a VA of 1.0 or better. In scotopic condition, the residual defocus and the higher-order aberrations are, respectively, 1.9 and 8.5 times the amount of that in photopic condition, and the defocus becomes the main factor attenuating visual performance.

  4. VEP-based acuity assessment in low vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, Michael B; Brands, Jan; Behrens-Baumann, Wolfgang; Bach, Michael

    2017-12-01

    Objective assessment of visual acuity (VA) is possible with VEP methodology, but established with sufficient precision only for vision better than about 1.0 logMAR. We here explore whether this can be extended down to 2.0 logMAR, highly desirable for low-vision evaluations. Based on the stepwise sweep algorithm (Bach et al. in Br J Ophthalmol 92:396-403, 2008) VEPs to monocular steady-state brief onset pattern stimulation (7.5-Hz checkerboards, 40% contrast, 40 ms on, 93 ms off) were recorded for eight different check sizes, from 0.5° to 9.0°, for two runs with three occipital electrodes in a Laplace-approximating montage. We examined 22 visually normal participants where acuity was reduced to ≈ 2.0 logMAR with frosted transparencies. With the established heuristic algorithm the "VEP acuity" was extracted and compared to psychophysical VA, both obtained at 57 cm distance. In 20 of the 22 participants with artificially reduced acuity the automatic analysis indicated a valid result (1.80 logMAR on average) in at least one of the two runs. 95% test-retest limits of agreement on average were ± 0.09 logMAR for psychophysical, and ± 0.21 logMAR for VEP-derived acuity. For 15 participants we obtained results in both runs and averaged them. In 12 of these 15 the low-acuity results stayed within the 95% confidence interval (± 0.3 logMAR) as established by Bach et al. (2008). The fully automated analysis yielded good agreement of psychophysical and electrophysiological VAs in 12 of 15 cases (80%) in the low-vision range down to 2.0 logMAR. This encourages us to further pursue this methodology and assess its value in patients.

  5. Effects of lighting and task parameters on visual acuity and performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Halonen, L.

    1993-12-31

    Lighting and task parameters and their effects on visual acuity and visual performance are dealt with. The parameters studied are target contrast, target size and subject`s age; and also adaptation luminance, luminance ratio between task and its surrounding and temporal change in luminances are studied. Experiments were carried out to examine the effects of luminance and light spectrum on visual acuity. Young normally sighted, older and low vision people participated in the measurements. In the young and older subject groups the visual acuity remained unchanged at contrasts 0.93 and 0.63 at the luminance range of 15-630 cd/m{sub 2}. The results show that at contrasts 0.03-0.93 young and older subjects` visual acuity remained unchanged in the luminance range of 105-630 cd/m{sub 2}. In the low vision group, the changes in luminances between 25-860 cd/m{sub 2} did not have significant effects on visual acuity measured at high contrast 0.93, at low contrast, slight individual changes were found. The colour temperature of the light sources was altered between 2900-9500 K in the experiment. In the groups of the older, young and low vision subjects the light spectrum did not have significant effects on visual acuity, except for two retinitis pigmentosa subjects. On the basis of the visual acuity experiments, a three dimensional visual acuity model (VA-HUT) has been developed. The model predicts visual acuity as a function of luminance, target contrast and observer age. On the basis of visual acuity experiments visual acuity reserve values have been calculated for different text sizes

  6. Empiric determination of corrected visual acuity standards for train crews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Steven H; Swanson, William H

    2005-08-01

    Probably the most common visual standard for employment in the transportation industry is best-corrected, high-contrast visual acuity. Because such standards were often established absent empiric linkage to job performance, it is possible that a job applicant or employee who has visual acuity less than the standard may be able to satisfactorily perform the required job activities. For the transportation system that we examined, the train crew is required to inspect visually the length of the train before and during the time it leaves the station. The purpose of the inspection is to determine if an individual is in a hazardous position with respect to the train. In this article, we determine the extent to which high-contrast visual acuity can predict performance on a simulated task. Performance at discriminating hazardous from safe conditions, as depicted in projected photographic slides, was determined as a function of visual acuity. For different levels of visual acuity, which was varied through the use of optical defocus, a subject was required to label scenes as hazardous or safe. Task performance was highly correlated with visual acuity as measured under conditions normally used for vision screenings (high-illumination and high-contrast): as the acuity decreases, performance at discriminating hazardous from safe scenes worsens. This empirically based methodology can be used to establish a corrected high-contrast visual acuity standard for safety-sensitive work in transportation that is linked to the performance of a job-critical task.

  7. [The relationship between eyeball structure and visual acuity in high myopia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yi-Chang; Xia, Wen-Tao; Zhu, Guang-You; Zhou, Xing-Tao; Fan, Li-Hua; Liu, Rui-Jue; Chen, Jie-Min

    2010-06-01

    To explore the relationship between eyeball structure and visual acuity in high myopia. Totally, 152 people (283 eyeballs) with different levels of myopia were tested for visual acuity, axial length, and fundus. All cases were classified according to diopter, axial length, and fundus. The relationships between diopter, axial length, fundus and visual acuity were studied. The mathematical models were established for visual acuity and eyeball structure markers. The visual acuity showed a moderate correlation with fundus class, comus, axial length and diopter ([r] > 0.4, P eyeball structure markers. The visual acuity should decline with axial length extension, diopter deepening and pathological deterioration of fundus. To detect the structure changes by combining different kinds of objective methods can help to assess and to judge the vision in high myopia.

  8. A case-control study of visual acuity in onychocryptosis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Hogan, Aisling M

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND: There are many theories surrounding the etiology of ingrown toenails (IGTN). Few factors have been formally assessed, but it is widely accepted that a poor nail cutting technique has a causative role. AIM: To investigate the hypothesis that decreased visual acuity may lead to inadequate nail cutting and the formation of IGTN. METHODS: A prospective case-control study was performed. Near and distance visual acuity were tested on a population with IGTN (n = 19) and compared with that of an age- and sex-matched control cohort (n = 24) who underwent epidermal cyst excision in the same tertiary referral center. Comparisons of visual acuity were made between groups by Mann-Whitney U-test. Differences were taken to be significant if P < 0.05. Institutional Review Board approval was sought and granted. RESULTS: No significant difference in visual acuity (near or distance) was demonstrated between patients with IGTN and the control group (P = 0.33). CONCLUSION: Visual acuity does not appear to play a significant role in the development of IGTN.

  9. One year follow-up of contrast sensitivity following conventional laser in situ keratomileusis and laser epithelial keratomileusis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townley, Deirdre; Kirwan, Caitriona; O'Keefe, Michael

    2012-02-01

    To determine the effect of conventional laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) for myopia on contrast sensitivity (CS) using the Pelli-Robson and Vector Vision CSV-1000E CS tests. A prospective, comparative study was conducted on 36 eyes of 36 patients with myopia undergoing LASIK (18 eyes) and LASEK (18 eyes). Surgery was performed using the Technolas 217z laser (Bausch & Lomb). CS was recorded preoperatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. No statistically significant difference was found in LogMAR uncorrected visual acuity post-LASIK (-0.02 ± 0.16) and LASEK (-0.04 ± 0.14). Using the Pelli-Robson, CS was significantly lower in the LASIK group 3 and 6 months postoperatively. No significant postoperative reduction in CS was observed in either treatment group. Using the CSV-1000E test, CS was significantly reduced post-LASIK at 3 (p = 0.05) and 6 (p = 0.05) cycles/degree under photopic conditions. No significant postoperative change occurred in the LASEK group under photopic or scotopic conditions. There was no significant difference in postoperative CS between the LASIK and LASEK groups at 3, 6, 12 or 18 cycles/degree using the CSV-1000E test. One year postoperatively, there was no difference in CS between both treatment groups using the Pelli-Robson and CSV-1000E tests. CS was reduced postoperatively in the LASIK group at the lower spatial frequencies under photopic conditions. No postoperative change was detected in CS following LASIK or LASEK using the Pelli-Robson test. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Acta Ophthalmol.

  10. The association between higher education and approximate number system acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindskog, Marcus; Winman, Anders; Juslin, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Humans are equipped with an approximate number system (ANS) supporting non-symbolic numerosity representation. Studies indicate a relationship between ANS-precision (acuity) and math achievement. Whether the ANS is a prerequisite for learning mathematics or if mathematics education enhances the ANS remains an open question. We investigated the association between higher education and ANS acuity with university students majoring in subjects with varying amounts of mathematics (mathematics, business, and humanities), measured either early (First year) or late (Third year) in their studies. The results suggested a non-significant trend where students taking more mathematics had better ANS acuity and a significant improvement in ANS acuity as a function of study length that was mainly confined to the business students. The results provide partial support for the hypothesis that education in mathematics can enhance the ANS acuity.

  11. The Association Between Higher Education and Approximate Number System Acuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcus eLindskog

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Humans are equipped with an Approximate Number System (ANS supporting non-symbolic numerosity representation. Studies indicate a relationship between ANS-precision (acuity and math achievement. Whether the ANS is a prerequisite for learning mathematics or if mathematics education enhances the ANS remains an open question. We investigated the association between higher education and ANS acuity with university students majoring in subjects with varying amounts of mathematics (mathematics, business, and humanities, measured either early (1th year or late (3rd year in their studies. The results suggested a non-significant trend where students taking more mathematics had better ANS acuity and a significant improvement in ANS acuity as a function of study length that was mainly confined to the business students. The results provide partial support for the hypothesis that education in mathematics can enhance the ANS acuity.

  12. The association between higher education and approximate number system acuity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindskog, Marcus; Winman, Anders; Juslin, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Humans are equipped with an approximate number system (ANS) supporting non-symbolic numerosity representation. Studies indicate a relationship between ANS-precision (acuity) and math achievement. Whether the ANS is a prerequisite for learning mathematics or if mathematics education enhances the ANS remains an open question. We investigated the association between higher education and ANS acuity with university students majoring in subjects with varying amounts of mathematics (mathematics, business, and humanities), measured either early (First year) or late (Third year) in their studies. The results suggested a non-significant trend where students taking more mathematics had better ANS acuity and a significant improvement in ANS acuity as a function of study length that was mainly confined to the business students. The results provide partial support for the hypothesis that education in mathematics can enhance the ANS acuity. PMID:24904478

  13. [Determining visual acuity with LH symbols and Landolt rings].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gräf, M; Becker, R

    1999-08-01

    Lea (LH) symbols seem to be favourable for visual acuity assessment in childhood. The symbols of the LH test are well standardized and applicable to preschool children. We compared the visual acuity determined by LH single symbols (LH) and the acuity measured with the Landolt-C (LC). 138 cooperative subjects aged 7 to 91 years were examined. Their visual acuity was either normal or reduced due to various etiologies. Their refractive error was corrected. The monocular LH and LC were determined by a 3/4 criterion (study 1). In 19 healthy subjects aged 21 to 58 years, acuity was reduced stepwise by 5 different calibrated occlusives (study 2). A Lighthouse single symbol book (LH symbols) was used at a distance of 3 m. LC was determined at a distance of 5 m. The luminance of the test field was 180-200 cd/m2. The right eye of each patient and the amblyopic eye of the squinting patients was taken for statistical evaluation. The strabismic patients' interocular differences of LC and LH were compared. Within study 1, LC ranged from 0.02 to 2.0 and LH from 0.03 to 2.5. LH overestimated LC by 1.4 lines on an average (t-test p 1 line, 85.7% resp. 90% of the strabismic amblyopic patients with an interocular LC difference > 1 resp > 2 lines were detected. In study 2, LC ranged from 0.1 to 1.6, LH from 0.12 to 2.0. The mean difference LH-LC was 1.3 lines. The regression equation was lgLH = 0.91 lgLC + 0.08 (r = 0.95). LH symbols allow a reliable measurement of recognition acuity. Due to the design of the symbols, they are excellently suitable for application to preschool children. Age related normal values should be established. The systematic difference between the LC acuity and the LH acuity measured with the Lighthouse LH single symbol book by 1.4 lines has to be considered.

  14. Near-field visual acuity of pigeons: effects of head location and stimulus luminance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodos, W; Leibowitz, R W; Bonbright, J C

    1976-03-01

    Two pigeons were trained to discriminate a grating stimulus from a blank stimulus of equivalent luminance in a three-key chamber. The stimuli and blanks were presented behind a transparent center key. The procedure was a conditional discrimination in which pecks on the left key were reinforced if the blank had been present behind the center key and pecks on the right key were reinforced if the grating had been present behind the center key. The spatial frequency of the stimuli was varied in each session from four to 29.5 lines per millimeter in accordance with a variation of the method of constant stimuli. The number of lines per millimeter that the subjects could discriminate at threshold was determined from psychometric functions. Data were collected at five values of stimulus luminance ranging from--0.07 to 3.29 log cd/m2. The distance from the stimulus to the anterior nodal point of the eye, which was determined from measurements taken from high-speed motion-picture photographs of three additional pigeons and published intraocular measurements, was 62.0 mm. This distance and the grating detection thresholds were used to calculate the visual acuity of the birds at each level of luminance. Acuity improved with increasing luminance to a peak value of 0.52, which corresponds to a visual angle of 1.92 min, at a luminance of 2.33 log cd/m2. Further increase in luminance produced a small decline in acuity.

  15. Acuity and case management: a healthy dose of outcomes, part III.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huber, Diane L; Craig, Kathy

    2007-01-01

    This is the third of a 3-part series presenting 2 effective applications--acuity and dosage--that describe how the business case for case management (CM) can be made. In Part I, dosage and acuity concepts were explained as client need-severity, CM intervention-intensity, and CM activity-dose prescribed by amount, frequency, duration, and breadth of activities. Concepts were presented that related the practice of CM to the use of evidence-based practice (EBP), knowledge, and methods and the development of instruments that measure and score pivotal CM actions. Part I also featured a specific exemplar, the CM Acuity Tool, and described how to use acuity to identify and score the complexity of a CM case. Part II further explained dosage and 2 acuity instruments, the Acuity Tool and AccuDiff. Part III presents linkage to EBP and practical applications. The information contained in the 3-part series applies to all CM practice settings and contains ideas and recommendations useful to CM generalists, specialists, supervisors, and business and outcomes managers. The Acuity Tools Project was developed from frontline CM practice in one large, national telephonic CM company. Dosage: A literature search failed to find research into dosage of a behavioral intervention. The Huber-Hall model was developed and tested in a longitudinal study of CM models in substance abuse treatment and reported in the literature. Acuity: A structured literature search and needs assessment launched the development of the suite of acuity tools. A gap analysis identified that an instrument to assign and measure case acuity specific to CM activities was needed. Clinical experts, quality specialists, and business analysts (n = 7) monitored the development and testing of the tools, acuity concepts, scores, differentials, and their operating principles and evaluated the validity of the acuity tools' content related to CM activities. During the pilot phase of development, interrater reliability testing of

  16. Acuity and case management: a healthy dose of outcomes, part II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craig, Kathy; Huber, Diane L

    2007-01-01

    This is the second of a 3-part series presenting 2 effective applications-acuity and dosage-that describe how the business case for case management (CM) can be made. In Part I, dosage and acuity concepts were explained as client need-severity, CM intervention-intensity, and CM activity-dose prescribed by amount, frequency, duration, and breadth of activities. Part I also featured a specific exemplar, the CM Acuity Tool, and described how to use acuity to identify and score the complexity of a CM case. Appropriate dosage prescription of CM activity was discussed. Part II further explains dosage and presents two acuity instruments, the Acuity Tool and AccuDiff. Details are provided that show how these applications produce opportunities for better communication about CM cases and for more accurate measurement of the right content that genuinely reflects the essentials of CM practice. The information contained in the 3-part series applies to all CM practice settings and contains ideas and recommendations useful to CM generalists, specialists, and supervisors, plus business and outcomes managers. The Acuity Tools Project was developed from frontline CM practice in one large, national telephonic CM company. Dosage: A literature search failed to find research into dosage of a behavioral intervention. The Huber-Hall model was developed and tested in a longitudinal study of CM models in substance abuse treatment and reported in the literature. Acuity: A structured literature search and needs assessment launched the development of the suite of acuity tools. A gap analysis identified that an instrument to assign and measure case acuity specific to CM activities was needed. Clinical experts, quality specialists, and business analysts (n = 7) monitored the development and testing of the tools, acuity concepts, scores, differentials, and their operating principles and evaluated the validity of the Acuity Tools' content related to CM activities. During the pilot phase of

  17. [Scattered light and glare sensitivity after wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy (WFG-PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (WFG-LASIK)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vignal, R; Tanzer, D; Brunstetter, T; Schallhorn, S

    2008-05-01

    To compare glare sensitivity measured by the intraocular scattered light between WFG-PRK and WFG-LASIK at 12 months follow-up and to assess its correlation to patients' complaints. Prospective and randomized study on 13 patients treated with WFG-LASIK, 13 patients with WFG-PRK and a control group of 35 patients. The intraocular stray light was measured by the Oculus C-Quant 12 months after surgery and before surgery for the control group. Photopic and mesopic contrast acuity and glare symptoms were reported pre- and postoperatively. Stray light values were normal in 79% of patients after WFG-LASIK and PRK and 86% in the control group, with mean values of 1.05 log, 1.03 log, and 0.99 log, respectively (p>0.05). All the patients with significant glare complaints had impaired stray light values versus 31.5% in the no-complaint group. Photopic and mesopic contrast acuity and glare symptoms were improved 1 year after surgery compared to preoperatively (no significant difference between groups). WFG-LASIK and PRK are safe and equivalent procedures regarding quality of vision. The measurement of stray light can be a discriminative test to assessing patients' glare complaints.

  18. Distinct Circuits for Recovery of Eye Dominance and Acuity in Murine Amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephany, Céleste-Élise; Ma, Xiaokuang; Dorton, Hilary M; Wu, Jie; Solomon, Alexander M; Frantz, Michael G; Qiu, Shenfeng; McGee, Aaron W

    2018-05-24

    Degrading vision by one eye during a developmental critical period yields enduring deficits in both eye dominance and visual acuity. A predominant model is that "reactivating" ocular dominance (OD) plasticity after the critical period is required to improve acuity in amblyopic adults. However, here we demonstrate that plasticity of eye dominance and acuity are independent and restricted by the nogo-66 receptor (ngr1) in distinct neuronal populations. Ngr1 mutant mice display greater excitatory synaptic input onto both inhibitory and excitatory neurons with restoration of normal vision. Deleting ngr1 in excitatory cortical neurons permits recovery of eye dominance but not acuity. Reciprocally, deleting ngr1 in thalamus is insufficient to rectify eye dominance but yields improvement of acuity to normal. Abolishing ngr1 expression in adult mice also promotes recovery of acuity. Together, these findings challenge the notion that mechanisms for OD plasticity contribute to the alterations in circuitry that restore acuity in amblyopia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Visual acuity and visual field impairment in Usher syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, A; Fishman, G A; Anderson, R J; Grover, S; Derlacki, D J

    1998-02-01

    To determine the extent of visual acuity and visual field impairment in patients with types 1 and 2 Usher syndrome. The records of 53 patients with type 1 and 120 patients with type 2 Usher syndrome were reviewed for visual acuity and visual field area at their most recent visit. Visual field areas were determined by planimetry of the II4e and V4e isopters obtained with a Goldmann perimeter. Both ordinary and logistic regression models were used to evaluate differences in visual acuity and visual field impairment between patients with type 1 and type 2 Usher syndrome. The difference in visual acuity of the better eye between patients with type 1 and type 2 varied by patient age (P=.01, based on a multiple regression model). The maximum difference in visual acuity between the 2 groups occurred during the third and fourth decades of life (with the type 1 patients being more impaired), while more similar acuities were seen in both younger and older patients. Fifty-one percent (n=27) of the type 1 patients had a visual acuity of 20/40 or better in at least 1 eye compared with 72% (n=87) of the type 2 patients (age-adjusted odds ratio, 3.9). Visual field area to both the II4e (P=.001) and V4e (Ptype 1 patients than type 2 patients. A concentric central visual field greater than 20 degrees in at least 1 eye was present in 20 (59%) of the available 34 visual fields of type 1 patients compared with 70 (67%) of the available 104 visual fields of type 2 patients (age-adjusted odds ratio, 2.9) with the V4e target and in 6 (21%) of the available 29 visual fields of type 1 patients compared with 36 (38%) of the available 94 visual fields of type 2 patients (age-adjusted odds ratio, 4.9) with the II4e target. The fraction of patients who had a visual acuity of 20/40 or better and a concentric central visual field greater than 20 degrees to the II4e target in at least 1 eye was 17% (n=5) in the type 1 patients and 35% (n=33) in the type 2 patients (age-adjusted odds ratio, 3

  20. An acuity cards cookbook.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vital-Durand, F

    1996-01-01

    Acuity cards are being more commonly used in clinical and screening practice. The author describes his experience from over 6000 infants tested with the method, using two commercially available sets of cards to provide users with comprehensive guidelines to allow them to get the most out of this useful test.

  1. Development and clinical application of a color pediatric visual acuity chart

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shu-Guo Yin

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To introduce a new color pediatric visual acuity chart and its clinical application.METHODS:The color pediatric visual acuity chart was designed based on principle of visual angle. The optotype on the color chart had graphics. The progression rate of optotype size between 2 lines was 10(101/2 and 1.2589. A regular geometric progression of optotype sizes and distribution was employed to arrange 8 lines with 11 optotype on the color chart. The testing distance was 3m. The visual acuity score could be recorded as logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution notation or decimal notation. The reliability of naked distant measurements with this new chart was tested in one eye of 100 children(4 ~6 years oldtaking the Chinese national standard logarithm visual acuity chart standard. RESULTS: The color pediatric visual acuity chart and logarithmic chart controls, visual acuity test results that in the two groups had no significant difference(t=1.2671, P>0.05. Two sets of vision data existed positive correlation(r=0.924, PCONCLUSION:Children are easier to accept used new color pediatric visual acuity chart to inspect vision. New chart is reliability and apply to children's vision screening.

  2. Human locognosic acuity on the arm varies with explicit and implicit manipulations of attention: implications for interpreting elevated tactile acuity on an amputation stump.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Boyle, D J; Moore, C E; Poliakoff, E; Butterworth, R; Sutton, A; Cody, F W

    2001-06-01

    In Experiment 1, normal subjects' ability to localize tactile stimuli (locognosia) delivered to the upper arm was significantly higher when they were instructed explicitly to direct their attention selectively to that segment than when they were instructed explicitly to distribute their attention across the whole arm. This elevation of acuity was eliminated when subjects' attentional resources were divided by superimposition of an effortful, secondary task during stimulation. In Experiment 2, in the absence of explicit attentional instruction, subjects' locognosic acuity on one of three arm segments was significantly higher when stimulation of that segment was 2.5 times more probable than that of stimulation of the other two segments. We surmise that the attentional mechanisms responsible for such modulations of locognosic acuity in normal subjects may contribute to the elevated sensory acuity observed on the stumps of amputees.

  3. Gender and environmental influences on visual acuity in Owerri ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study assessed the gender and environmental influences on visual function among adults in Owerri, Nigeria. Visual acuity (V.A.) is a measure of visual function in health and disease. Visual disability together with other disabling conditions is a barrier to development, yet there is little known about the visual acuity and ...

  4. The high cost of low-acuity ICU outliers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahl, Deborah; Wojtal, Greg G; Breslow, Michael J; Holl, Randy; Huguez, Debra; Stone, David; Korpi, Gloria

    2012-01-01

    Direct variable costs were determined on each hospital day for all patients with an intensive care unit (ICU) stay in four Phoenix-area hospital ICUs. Average daily direct variable cost in the four ICUs ranged from $1,436 to $1,759 and represented 69.4 percent and 45.7 percent of total hospital stay cost for medical and surgical patients, respectively. Daily ICU cost and length of stay (LOS) were higher in patients with higher ICU admission acuity of illness as measured by the APACHE risk prediction methodology; 16.2 percent of patients had an ICU stay in excess of six days, and these LOS outliers accounted for 56.7 percent of total ICU cost. While higher-acuity patients were more likely to be ICU LOS outliers, 11.1 percent of low-risk patients were outliers. The low-risk group included 69.4 percent of the ICU population and accounted for 47 percent of all LOS outliers. Low-risk LOS outliers accounted for 25.3 percent of ICU cost and incurred fivefold higher hospital stay costs and mortality rates. These data suggest that severity of illness is an important determinant of daily resource consumption and LOS, regardless of whether the patient arrives in the ICU with high acuity or develops complications that increase acuity. The finding that a substantial number of long-stay patients come into the ICU with low acuity and deteriorate after ICU admission is not widely recognized and represents an important opportunity to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. ICUs should consider adding low-risk LOS data to their quality and financial performance reports.

  5. Arithmetic Training Does Not Improve Approximate Number System Acuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcus Lindskog

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The Approximate Number System (ANS is thought to support non-symbolic representations of numerical magnitudes in humans. Recently much debate has focused on the causal direction for an observed relation between ANS acuity and arithmetic fluency. Here we investigate if arithmetic training can improve ANS acuity. We show with an experimental training study consisting of six 45-minute training sessions that although feedback during arithmetic training improves arithmetic performance substantially, it does not influence ANS acuity. Hence, we find no support for a causal link where symbolic arithmetic training influences the ANS acuity. Further, although short-term number memory is likely involved in arithmetic tasks we did not find that short-term memory capacity for numbers, measured by a digit-span test, was effected by arithmetic training. This suggests that the improvement in arithmetic fluency may have occurred independent of short-term memory efficiency, but rather due to long-term memory processes and/or mental calculation strategy development. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

  6. Impaired temporal, not just spatial, resolution in amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spang, Karoline; Fahle, Manfred

    2009-11-01

    In amblyopia, neuronal deficits deteriorate spatial vision including visual acuity, possibly because of a lack of use-dependent fine-tuning of afferents to the visual cortex during infancy; but temporal processing may deteriorate as well. Temporal, rather than spatial, resolution was investigated in patients with amblyopia by means of a task based on time-defined figure-ground segregation. Patients had to indicate the quadrant of the visual field where a purely time-defined square appeared. The results showed a clear decrease in temporal resolution of patients' amblyopic eyes compared with the dominant eyes in this task. The extent of this decrease in figure-ground segregation based on time of motion onset only loosely correlated with the decrease in spatial resolution and spanned a smaller range than did the spatial loss. Control experiments with artificially induced blur in normal observers confirmed that the decrease in temporal resolution was not simply due to the acuity loss. Amblyopia not only decreases spatial resolution, but also temporal factors such as time-based figure-ground segregation, even at high stimulus contrasts. This finding suggests that the realm of neuronal processes that may be disturbed in amblyopia is larger than originally thought.

  7. Ontogenetic improvement of visual function in the medaka Oryzias latipes based on an optomotor testing system for larval and adult fish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carvalho, Paulo S. M.; Noltie, Douglas B.; Tillitt, D.E.

    2002-01-01

    We developed a system for evaluation of visual function in larval and adult fish. Both optomotor (swimming) and optokinetic (eye movement) responses were monitored and recorded using a system of rotating stripes. The system allowed manipulation of factors such as width of the stripes used, rotation speed of the striped drum, and light illuminance levels within both the scotopic and photopic ranges. Precise control of these factors allowed quantitative measurements of visual acuity and motion detection. Using this apparatus, we tested the hypothesis that significant posthatch ontogenetic improvements in visual function occur in the medaka Oryzias latipes, and also that this species shows significant in ovo neuronal development. Significant improvements in the acuity angle alpha (ability to discriminate detail) were observed from approximately 5 degrees at hatch to 1 degree in the oldest adult stages. In addition, we measured a significant improvement in flicker fusion thresholds (motion detection skills) between larval and adult life stages within both the scotopic and photopic ranges of light illuminance. Ranges of flicker fusion thresholds (X±SD) at log I=1.96 (photopic) varied from 37.2±1.6 cycles/s in young adults to 18.6±1.6 cycles/s in young larvae 10 days posthatch. At log I=−2.54 (scotopic), flicker fusion thresholds varied from 5.8±0.7 cycles/s in young adults to 1.7±0.4 cycles/s in young larvae 10 days posthatch. Light sensitivity increased approximately 2.9 log units from early hatched larval stages to adults. The demonstrated ontogenetic improvements in visual function probably enable the fish to explore new resources, thereby enlarging their fundamental niche.

  8. Improvement of visual acuity by refraction in a low-vision population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunness, Janet S; El Annan, Jaafar

    2010-07-01

    Refraction often may be overlooked in low-vision patients, because the main cause of vision decrease is not refractive, but rather is the result of underlying ocular disease. This retrospective study was carried out to determine how frequently and to what extent visual acuity is improved by refraction in a low-vision population. Cross-sectional study. Seven hundred thirty-nine low-vision patients seen for the first time. A database with all new low-vision patients seen from November 2005 through June 2008 recorded presenting visual acuity using an Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart; it also recorded the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) if it was 2 lines or more better than the presenting visual acuity. Retinoscopy was carried out on all patients, followed by manifest refraction. Improvement in visual acuity. Median presenting acuity was 20/80(-2) (interquartile range, 20/50-20/200). There was an improvement of 2 lines or more of visual acuity in 81 patients (11% of all patients), with 22 patients (3% of all patients) improving by 4 lines or more. There was no significant difference in age or in presenting visual acuity between the group that did not improve by refraction and the group that did improve. When stratified by diagnosis, the only 2 diagnoses with a significantly higher rate of improvement than the age-related macular degeneration group were myopic degeneration and progressive myopia (odds ratio, 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.0-6.7) and status post-retinal detachment (odds ratio, 7.1; 95% CI, 5.2-9.0). For 5 patients (6% of those with improvement), the eye that was 1 line or more worse than the fellow eye at presentation became the eye that was 1 line or more better than the fellow eye after refraction. A significant improvement in visual acuity was attained by refraction in 11% of the new low-vision patients. Improvement was seen across diagnoses and the range of presenting visual acuity. The worse-seeing eye at presentation may

  9. Visual Acuity in Primary School Pupils in Lagos, Nigeria | Okoro ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... in visual acuity. Conclusion: Eye defects occur among school children with potential negative effects. Pre-school entry eye examinations and regular screening is advocated and glasses should be made available for children with refractive error. Keywords: Visual Acuity, Screening, School Children, School Health ...

  10. Role of high-order aberrations in senescent changes in spatial vision

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elliot, S; Choi, S S; Doble, N; Hardy, J L; Evans, J W; Werner, J S

    2009-01-06

    The contributions of optical and neural factors to age-related losses in spatial vision are not fully understood. We used closed-loop adaptive optics to test the visual benefit of correcting monochromatic high-order aberrations (HOAs) on spatial vision for observers ranging in age from 18-81 years. Contrast sensitivity was measured monocularly using a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) procedure for sinusoidal gratings over 6 mm and 3 mm pupil diameters. Visual acuity was measured using a spatial 4AFC procedure. Over a 6 mm pupil, young observers showed a large benefit of AO at high spatial frequencies, whereas older observers exhibited the greatest benefit at middle spatial frequencies, plus a significantly larger increase in visual acuity. When age-related miosis is controlled, young and old observers exhibited a similar benefit of AO for spatial vision. An increase in HOAs cannot account for the complete senescent decline in spatial vision. These results may indicate a larger role of additional optical factors when the impact of HOAs is removed, but also lend support for the importance of neural factors in age-related changes in spatial vision.

  11. Comparison of Photopic Negative Response of Full-Field and Focal Electroretinograms in Detecting Glaucomatous Eyes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shigeki Machida

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To compare the photopic negative response (PhNR of the full-field electroretinogram (ERG to the PhNR of the focal ERGs in detecting glaucoma. Methods. One hundred and three eyes with glaucoma and 42 normal eyes were studied. Full-field ERGs were elicited by red stimuli on a blue background. The focal ERGs were elicited by a 15∘ white stimulus spot centered on the macula, the superotemporal or the inferotemporal areas of the macula. Results. In early glaucoma, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs were significantly larger for the focal PhNR (0.863–0.924 than those for the full-field PhNR (0.666–0.748 (P<.05. The sensitivity was significantly higher for the focal PhNR than for the full-field PhNR in early (P<.01 and intermediate glaucoma (P<.05. In advanced glaucoma, there was no difference in the AUCs and sensitivities between the focal and full-field PhNRs. Conclusions. The focal ERG has the diagnostic ability with higher sensitivity in detecting early and intermediate glaucoma than the full-field ERG.

  12. Modelling the training effects of kinaesthetic acuity measurement in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sims, K; Morton, J

    1998-07-01

    In previous papers (Sims, Henderson, Hulme, & Morton, 1996a; Sims, Henderson, Morton, & Hulme, 1996b) we have found that the motor skills of clumsy children are capable of significant improvement following relatively brief interventions. Most remarkably, this included a 10-minute intervention while testing the kinaesthetic acuity of the children using a staircase method (Pest). In this paper, we show that Pest testing improves the kinaesthetic acuity of normal children as well. We analyse the available data on the development and improvement of motor skills and kinaesthetic acuity and derive a causal model for the underlying skills. We show that at least three independent cognitive/biological components are required to account for the data. These three components are affected differently by the various interventions that have been tried. We deduce that improvement on a general test of motor impairment can be found as a result of training in kinaesthetic acuity or through other, independent factors.

  13. When approximate number acuity predicts math performance: The moderating role of math anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Libertus, Melissa E.

    2018-01-01

    Separate lines of research suggest that people who are better at estimating numerical quantities using the approximate number system (ANS) have better math performance, and that people with high levels of math anxiety have worse math performance. Only a handful of studies have examined both ANS acuity and math anxiety in the same participants and those studies report contradictory results. To address these inconsistencies, in the current study 87 undergraduate students completed assessments of ANS acuity, math anxiety, and three different measures of math. We considered moderation models to examine the interplay of ANS acuity and math anxiety on different aspects of math performance. Math anxiety and ANS acuity were both unique significant predictors of the ability to automatically recall basic number facts. ANS acuity was also a unique significant predictor of the ability to solve applied math problems, and this relation was further qualified by a significant interaction with math anxiety: the positive association between ANS acuity and applied problem solving was only present in students with high math anxiety. Our findings suggest that ANS acuity and math anxiety are differentially related to various aspects of math and should be considered together when examining their respective influences on math ability. Our findings also raise the possibility that good ANS acuity serves as a protective factor for highly math-anxious students on certain types of math assessments. PMID:29718939

  14. When approximate number acuity predicts math performance: The moderating role of math anxiety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braham, Emily J; Libertus, Melissa E

    2018-01-01

    Separate lines of research suggest that people who are better at estimating numerical quantities using the approximate number system (ANS) have better math performance, and that people with high levels of math anxiety have worse math performance. Only a handful of studies have examined both ANS acuity and math anxiety in the same participants and those studies report contradictory results. To address these inconsistencies, in the current study 87 undergraduate students completed assessments of ANS acuity, math anxiety, and three different measures of math. We considered moderation models to examine the interplay of ANS acuity and math anxiety on different aspects of math performance. Math anxiety and ANS acuity were both unique significant predictors of the ability to automatically recall basic number facts. ANS acuity was also a unique significant predictor of the ability to solve applied math problems, and this relation was further qualified by a significant interaction with math anxiety: the positive association between ANS acuity and applied problem solving was only present in students with high math anxiety. Our findings suggest that ANS acuity and math anxiety are differentially related to various aspects of math and should be considered together when examining their respective influences on math ability. Our findings also raise the possibility that good ANS acuity serves as a protective factor for highly math-anxious students on certain types of math assessments.

  15. When approximate number acuity predicts math performance: The moderating role of math anxiety.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emily J Braham

    Full Text Available Separate lines of research suggest that people who are better at estimating numerical quantities using the approximate number system (ANS have better math performance, and that people with high levels of math anxiety have worse math performance. Only a handful of studies have examined both ANS acuity and math anxiety in the same participants and those studies report contradictory results. To address these inconsistencies, in the current study 87 undergraduate students completed assessments of ANS acuity, math anxiety, and three different measures of math. We considered moderation models to examine the interplay of ANS acuity and math anxiety on different aspects of math performance. Math anxiety and ANS acuity were both unique significant predictors of the ability to automatically recall basic number facts. ANS acuity was also a unique significant predictor of the ability to solve applied math problems, and this relation was further qualified by a significant interaction with math anxiety: the positive association between ANS acuity and applied problem solving was only present in students with high math anxiety. Our findings suggest that ANS acuity and math anxiety are differentially related to various aspects of math and should be considered together when examining their respective influences on math ability. Our findings also raise the possibility that good ANS acuity serves as a protective factor for highly math-anxious students on certain types of math assessments.

  16. Improved Mental Acuity Forecasting with an Individualized Quantitative Sleep Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brent D. Winslow

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Sleep impairment significantly alters human brain structure and cognitive function, but available evidence suggests that adults in developed nations are sleeping less. A growing body of research has sought to use sleep to forecast cognitive performance by modeling the relationship between the two, but has generally focused on vigilance rather than other cognitive constructs affected by sleep, such as reaction time, executive function, and working memory. Previous modeling efforts have also utilized subjective, self-reported sleep durations and were restricted to laboratory environments. In the current effort, we addressed these limitations by employing wearable systems and mobile applications to gather objective sleep information, assess multi-construct cognitive performance, and model/predict changes to mental acuity. Thirty participants were recruited for participation in the study, which lasted 1 week. Using the Fitbit Charge HR and a mobile version of the automated neuropsychological assessment metric called CogGauge, we gathered a series of features and utilized the unified model of performance to predict mental acuity based on sleep records. Our results suggest that individuals poorly rate their sleep duration, supporting the need for objective sleep metrics to model circadian changes to mental acuity. Participant compliance in using the wearable throughout the week and responding to the CogGauge assessments was 80%. Specific biases were identified in temporal metrics across mobile devices and operating systems and were excluded from the mental acuity metric development. Individualized prediction of mental acuity consistently outperformed group modeling. This effort indicates the feasibility of creating an individualized, mobile assessment and prediction of mental acuity, compatible with the majority of current mobile devices.

  17. P3-4: Binocular Visual Acuity in Exotropia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heekyung Yang

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To investigate binocular interaction of visual acuity in patients with intermittent exotropia and its relationship with accommodative responses during binocular vision. Methods: Sixty-seven patients with intermittent exotropia of 8 years or older were included. Binocular visual acuity (BVA and monocular visual acuity (MVA were measured in sequence. Accommodative responses of both eyes were measured using the WAM-5500 autorefractor/keratometer (GrandSeiko, Fukuyama, Japan during binocular and monocular viewing conditions at 6 m. Accommodative responses during binocular vision were calculated using the difference between the refractive errors of binocular and monocular vision. Main outcome measures: Binocular interactions of visual acuity were categorized as binocular summation, equivalency, or inhibition. The prevalence of the 3 patterns of binocular interaction was investigated. Accommodative responses were correlated with differences between BVA and better MVA. Results: Most patients (41 patients, 61.2% showed binocular equivalency. Binocular inhibition and summation were noted in 6 (9.0% and 20 (29.9% patients, respectively. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between binocular interaction and accommodative responses during binocular vision (p < .001. Accommodative responses significantly correlated with the angle of exodeviation at distance (p = .002. Conclusions: In patients with intermittent exotropia, binocular inhibition is associated with increased accommodation and a larger angle of exodeviation, suggesting that accommodative convergence is a mechanism that maintains ocular alignment. Thus, BVA inhibition may be attributed to diminishing fusional control in patients with intermittent exotropia.

  18. The effect of state medicaid case-mix payment on nursing home resident acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Zhanlian; Grabowski, David C; Intrator, Orna; Mor, Vincent

    2006-08-01

    To examine the relationship between Medicaid case-mix payment and nursing home resident acuity. Longitudinal Minimum Data Set (MDS) resident assessments from 1999 to 2002 and Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) data from 1996 to 2002, for all freestanding nursing homes in the 48 contiguous U.S. states. We used a facility fixed-effects model to examine the effect of introducing state case-mix payment on changes in nursing home case-mix acuity. Facility acuity was measured by aggregating the nursing case-mix index (NCMI) from the MDS using the Resource Utilization Group (Version III) resident classification system, separately for new admits and long-stay residents, and by an OSCAR-derived index combining a range of activity of daily living dependencies and special treatment measures. We followed facilities over the study period to create a longitudinal data file based on the MDS and OSCAR, respectively, and linked facilities with longitudinal data on state case-mix payment policies for the same period. Across three acuity measures and two data sources, we found that states shifting to case-mix payment increased nursing home acuity levels over the study period. Specifically, we observed a 2.5 percent increase in the average acuity of new admits and a 1.3 to 1.4 percent increase in the acuity of long-stay residents, following the introduction of case-mix payment. The adoption of case-mix payment increased access to care for higher acuity Medicaid residents.

  19. Methods for assessing forward and backward light scatter in patients with cataract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crnej, Alja; Hirnschall, Nino; Petsoglou, Con; Findl, Oliver

    2017-08-01

    To compare objective methods for assessing backward and forward light scatter and psychophysical tests in patients with cataracts. Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom. Prospective case series. This study included patients scheduled for cataract surgery. Lens opacities were grouped into predominantly nuclear sclerotic, cortical, posterior subcapsular, and mixed cataracts. Backward light scatter was assessed using a rotating Scheimpflug imaging technique (Pentacam HR), forward light scatter using a straylight meter (C-Quant), and straylight using the double-pass method (Optical Quality Analysis System, point-spread function [PSF] meter). The results were correlated with visual acuity under photopic conditions as well as photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity. The study comprised 56 eyes of 56 patients. The mean age of the 23 men and 33 women was 71 years (range 48 to 84 years). Two patients were excluded. Of the remaining, 15 patients had predominantly nuclear sclerotic cataracts, 13 had cortical cataracts, 11 had posterior subcapsular cataracts, and 15 had mixed cataracts. Correlations between devices were low. The highest correlation was between PSF meter measurements and Scheimpflug measurements (r = 0.32). The best correlation between corrected distance visual acuity was with the PSF meter (r = 0.45). Forward and backward light-scatter measurements cannot be used interchangeably. Scatter as an aspect of quality of vision was independent of acuity. Measuring forward light scatter with the straylight meter can be a useful additional tool in preoperative decision-making. Copyright © 2017 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Comparison of a new refractive multifocal intraocular lens with an inferior segmental near add and a diffractive multifocal intraocular lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alio, Jorge L; Plaza-Puche, Ana B; Javaloy, Jaime; Ayala, María José; Moreno, Luis J; Piñero, David P

    2012-03-01

    To compare the visual acuity outcomes and ocular optical performance of eyes implanted with a multifocal refractive intraocular lens (IOL) with an inferior segmental near add or a diffractive multifocal IOL. Prospective, comparative, nonrandomized, consecutive case series. Eighty-three consecutive eyes of 45 patients (age range, 36-82 years) with cataract were divided into 2 groups: group A, 45 eyes implanted with Lentis Mplus LS-312 (Oculentis GmbH, Berlin, Germany); group B, 38 eyes implanted with diffractive IOL Acri.Lisa 366D (Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany). All patients underwent phacoemulsification followed by IOL implantation in the capsular bag. Distance corrected, intermediate, and near with the distance correction visual acuity outcomes and contrast sensitivity, intraocular aberrations, and defocus curve were evaluated postoperatively during a 3-month follow-up. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA), corrected distance near and intermediate visual acuity (CDNVA), contrast sensitivity, intraocular aberrations, and defocus curve. A significant improvement in UDVA, CDVA, and UNVA was observed in both groups after surgery (P ≤ 0.04). Significantly better values of UNVA (P<0.01) and CDNVA (P<0.04) were found in group B. In the defocus curve, significantly better visual acuities were present in eyes in group A for intermediate vision levels of defocus (P ≤ 0.04). Significantly higher amounts of postoperative intraocular primary coma and spherical aberrations were found in group A (P<0.01). In addition, significantly better values were observed in photopic contrast sensitivity for high spatial frequencies in group A (P ≤ 0.04). The Lentis Mplus LS-312 and Acri.Lisa 366D IOLs are able to successfully restore visual function after cataract surgery. The Lentis Mplus LS-312 provided better intermediate vision and contrast sensitivity outcomes than the Acri.Lisa 366D. However, the

  1. Indoor Spatial Updating with Reduced Visual Information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Legge, Gordon E; Gage, Rachel; Baek, Yihwa; Bochsler, Tiana M

    2016-01-01

    Spatial updating refers to the ability to keep track of position and orientation while moving through an environment. People with impaired vision may be less accurate in spatial updating with adverse consequences for indoor navigation. In this study, we asked how artificial restrictions on visual acuity and field size affect spatial updating, and also judgments of the size of rooms. Normally sighted young adults were tested with artificial restriction of acuity in Mild Blur (Snellen 20/135) and Severe Blur (Snellen 20/900) conditions, and a Narrow Field (8°) condition. The subjects estimated the dimensions of seven rectangular rooms with and without these visual restrictions. They were also guided along three-segment paths in the rooms. At the end of each path, they were asked to estimate the distance and direction to the starting location. In Experiment 1, the subjects walked along the path. In Experiment 2, they were pushed in a wheelchair to determine if reduced proprioceptive input would result in poorer spatial updating. With unrestricted vision, mean Weber fractions for room-size estimates were near 20%. Severe Blur but not Mild Blur yielded larger errors in room-size judgments. The Narrow Field was associated with increased error, but less than with Severe Blur. There was no effect of visual restriction on estimates of distance back to the starting location, and only Severe Blur yielded larger errors in the direction estimates. Contrary to expectation, the wheelchair subjects did not exhibit poorer updating performance than the walking subjects, nor did they show greater dependence on visual condition. If our results generalize to people with low vision, severe deficits in acuity or field will adversely affect the ability to judge the size of indoor spaces, but updating of position and orientation may be less affected by visual impairment.

  2. Indoor Spatial Updating with Reduced Visual Information.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gordon E Legge

    Full Text Available Spatial updating refers to the ability to keep track of position and orientation while moving through an environment. People with impaired vision may be less accurate in spatial updating with adverse consequences for indoor navigation. In this study, we asked how artificial restrictions on visual acuity and field size affect spatial updating, and also judgments of the size of rooms.Normally sighted young adults were tested with artificial restriction of acuity in Mild Blur (Snellen 20/135 and Severe Blur (Snellen 20/900 conditions, and a Narrow Field (8° condition. The subjects estimated the dimensions of seven rectangular rooms with and without these visual restrictions. They were also guided along three-segment paths in the rooms. At the end of each path, they were asked to estimate the distance and direction to the starting location. In Experiment 1, the subjects walked along the path. In Experiment 2, they were pushed in a wheelchair to determine if reduced proprioceptive input would result in poorer spatial updating.With unrestricted vision, mean Weber fractions for room-size estimates were near 20%. Severe Blur but not Mild Blur yielded larger errors in room-size judgments. The Narrow Field was associated with increased error, but less than with Severe Blur. There was no effect of visual restriction on estimates of distance back to the starting location, and only Severe Blur yielded larger errors in the direction estimates. Contrary to expectation, the wheelchair subjects did not exhibit poorer updating performance than the walking subjects, nor did they show greater dependence on visual condition.If our results generalize to people with low vision, severe deficits in acuity or field will adversely affect the ability to judge the size of indoor spaces, but updating of position and orientation may be less affected by visual impairment.

  3. Visual Acuity does not Moderate Effect Sizes of Higher-Level Cognitive Tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houston, James R.; Bennett, Ilana J.; Allen, Philip A.; Madden, David J.

    2016-01-01

    Background Declining visual capacities in older adults have been posited as a driving force behind adult age differences in higher-order cognitive functions (e.g., the “common cause” hypothesis of Lindenberger & Baltes, 1994). McGowan, Patterson and Jordan (2013) also found that a surprisingly large number of published cognitive aging studies failed to include adequate measures of visual acuity. However, a recent meta-analysis of three studies (LaFleur & Salthouse, 2014) failed to find evidence that visual acuity moderated or mediated age differences in higher-level cognitive processes. In order to provide a more extensive test of whether visual acuity moderates age differences in higher-level cognitive processes, we conducted a more extensive meta-analysis of topic. Methods Using results from 456 studies, we calculated effect sizes for the main effect of age across four cognitive domains (attention, executive function, memory, and perception/language) separately for five levels of visual acuity criteria (no criteria, undisclosed criteria, self-reported acuity, 20/80-20/31, and 20/30 or better). Results As expected, age had a significant effect on each cognitive domain. However, these age effects did not further differ as a function of visual acuity criteria. Conclusion The current meta-analytic, cross-sectional results suggest that visual acuity is not significantly related to age group differences in higher-level cognitive performance—thereby replicating LaFleur and Salthouse (2014). Further efforts are needed to determine whether other measures of visual functioning (e.g. contrast sensitivity, luminance) affect age differences in cognitive functioning. PMID:27070044

  4. Female carpet weavers' visual acuity and effective factors: Fordu rural area of Qom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khajenasiri F.

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Healthy vision of workers is one of the important elements in carpet weaving industry which has essential role in improving of the job quality and efficiency. Visual acuity is the primary outcome measure in most studies involving eye diseases. Ihe aim of this study was determination of visual acuity and its effective factors in women carpet weaver in fordu rural area of Qom has been investigated.  Methods: In a cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical study visual acuity of 177 women carpet weaver has been determined. Job hours per day, job history, age, literacy, trauma history, diabetes history, family history of eye diseases, eye diseases history and family size  of subjects were determined .Results: The results of study indicated that the right eyes visual acuity of 72.4 % of women were desirable (0 - 0.8 and 27.6 % were undesirable (0.9-1.2. These results for the left eyes were 69.5 % and 30.5 % respectively. In addition, the result showed that with increasing the job hours and history and age, percent of women with undesirable both eyes visual acuity were increased. With higher literacy levels, percent of women with undesirable both eyes visual acuity decreased. In subjects with truma history, the undesirable visual acuity was higher. In this study the relation between visual acuity and job history, age, literacy, truma history and eye diseases history were statistically significant (in all cases P<0.05.Conclusions: High percentage of women carpet weaver were in undesirable  visual acuity and in this study the relation between visual acuity and job history, age, literacy, trauma history and eye diseases history were statistically significant (in all cases P<0.05.

  5. Variable acuity remote viewing system flight demonstration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, R. W.

    1983-01-01

    The Variable Acuity Remote Viewing System (VARVS), originally developed under contract to the Navy (ONR) as a laboratory brassboard, was modified for flight demonstration. The VARVS system was originally conceived as a technique which could circumvent the acuity/field of view/bandwidth tradeoffs that exists in remote viewing to provide a nearly eye limited display in both field of view (160 deg) and resolution (2 min arc) while utilizing conventional TV sensing, transmission, and display equipment. The modifications for flight demonstration consisted of modifying the sensor so it could be installed and flow in a Piper PA20 aircraft, equipped for remote control and modifying the display equipment so it could be integrated with the NASA Research RPB (RPRV) remote control cockpit.

  6. Visual acuity outcomes in eyes with flat corneas after PRK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varssano, David; Waisbourd, Michael; Minkev, Liza; Sela, Tzahi; Neudorfer, Meira; Binder, Perry S

    2013-06-01

    To evaluate the impact of corneal curvatures less than 35 diopters (D) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) on visual acuity outcomes. Visual acuity outcomes of 5,410 eyes that underwent PRK from January 2006 to November 2010 were retrospectively analyzed for the impact of postoperative corneal curvatures on visual outcomes. All procedures were performed on a single platform (Allegretto 200Hz excimer laser; Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Irvine, CA). Main outcome measures were postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and loss of CDVA. Corneas with a measured or a calculated postoperative flat meridian less than 35 D and those with a measured postoperative steep meridian less than 35 D had worse postoperative CDVA than corneas with meridians of either 35 D or more (P ≤ .021). However, the preoperative CDVA was worse in the flatter curvatures in all comparisons performed (P ≤ .024). Consequently, the measured or calculated meridian curvature had no effect on CDVA loss (P ≥ .074). Postoperative corneal keratometry values (flat and steep meridians) less than 35 D did not have a predictive effect on the risk of losing visual acuity following myopic PRK performed on the Allegretto 200Hz excimer laser. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  7. Should we add visual acuity ratios to referral criteria for potential cerebral visual impairment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Zee, Ymie J; Stiers, Peter; Evenhuis, Heleen M

    To determine whether the assessment of visual acuity ratios might improve the referral of children with (sub)normal visual acuity but at risk of cerebral visual impairment. In an exploratory study, we assessed visual acuity, crowding ratio and the ratios between grating acuity (Teller Acuity Cards-II) and optotype acuity (Cambridge Crowding Cards) in 60 typically developing school children (mean age 5y8m±1y1m), 21 children with ocular abnormalities only (5y7m±1y9m) and 26 children with (suspected) brain damage (5y7m±1y11m). Sensitivities and specificities were calculated for targets and controls from the perspective of different groups of diagnosticians: youth health care professionals (target: children with any visual abnormalities), ophthalmologists and low vision experts (target: children at risk of cerebral visual impairment). For youth health care professionals subnormal visual acuity had the best sensitivity (76%) and specificity (70%). For ophthalmologists and low vision experts the crowding ratio had the best sensitivity (67%) and specificity (79 and 86%). Youth health care professionals best continue applying subnormal visual acuity for screening, whereas ophthalmologists and low vision experts best add the crowding ratio to their routine diagnostics, to distinguish children at risk of visual impairment in the context of brain damage from children with ocular pathology only. Copyright © 2016 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  8. Out of sight, out of mind? Relations between visual acuity and cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    La Fleur, Claire G; Salthouse, Timothy A

    2014-10-01

    Prior research has established significant relations between measures of sensory ability and cognitive function in adults of different ages, and several explanations for this relation have been proposed. One explanation is that sensory abilities restrict cognitive processing, a second is that cognitive abilities influence assessments of sensory ability, and a third is that both sensory function and cognition are affected by a common, potentially age-based, third factor. These explanations were investigated using mediation and moderation analyses, with near visual acuity as the sensory measure and scores on visual speed tests and auditory memory tests as the cognitive measures. Measures of visual acuity, speed, and memory were obtained from three moderately large samples, two cross-sectional (N = 380, N = 4,779) and one longitudinal (N = 2,258), with participants ranging from 18 to 90 years of age. The visual acuity and cognitive measures had different age trajectories, and the visual acuity-cognition relations were similar in each 5-year age band. The results suggest that the age-related differences and changes in near visual acuity are unlikely to contribute to the age-related differences and changes in speed and memory measures.

  9. Test-retest reliability of the multifocal photopic negative response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Alstine, Anthony W; Viswanathan, Suresh

    2017-02-01

    To assess the test-retest reliability of the multifocal photopic negative response (mfPhNR) of normal human subjects. Multifocal electroretinograms were recorded from one eye of 61 healthy adult subjects on two separate days using a Visual Evoked Response Imaging System software version 4.3 (EDI, San Mateo, California). The visual stimulus delivered on a 75-Hz monitor consisted of seven equal-sized hexagons each subtending 12° of visual angle. The m-step exponent was 9, and the m-sequence was slowed to include at least 30 blank frames after each flash. Only the first slice of the first-order kernel was analyzed. The mfPhNR amplitude was measured at a fixed time in the trough from baseline (BT) as well as at the same fixed time in the trough from the preceding b-wave peak (PT). Additionally, we also analyzed BT normalized either to PT (BT/PT) or to the b-wave amplitude (BT/b-wave). The relative reliability of test-retest differences for each test location was estimated by the Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Absolute test-retest reliability was estimated by Bland-Altman analysis. The test-retest amplitude differences for neither of the two measurement techniques were statistically significant as determined by Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test. PT measurements showed greater ICC values than BT amplitude measurements for all test locations. For each measurement technique, the ICC value of the macular response was greater than that of the surrounding locations. The mean test-retest difference was close to zero for both techniques at each of the test locations, and while the coefficient of reliability (COR-1.96 times the standard deviation of the test-retest difference) was comparable for the two techniques at each test location when expressed in nanovolts, the %COR (COR normalized to the mean test and retest amplitudes) was superior for PT than BT measurements. The ICC and COR were comparable for the BT/PT and

  10. Acuity-adaptable nursing care: exploring its place in designing the future patient room.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwan, Melissa A

    2011-01-01

    To substantiate the anticipated benefits of the original acuity-adaptable care delivery model as defined by innovator Ann Hendrich. In today's conveyor belt approach to healthcare, upon admission and through discharge, patients are commonly transferred based on changing acuity needs. Wasted time and money and inefficiencies in hospital operations often result-in addition to jeopardizing patient safety. In the last decade, a handful of hospitals pioneered the implementation of the acuity-adaptable care delivery model. Built on the concept of eliminating patient transfers, the projected outcomes of acuity-adaptable units-decreased average lengths of stay, increased patient safety and satisfaction, and increased nurses' satisfaction from reduced walking distances-make a good case for a model patient room. Although some hospitals experienced the projected benefits of the acuity-adaptable care delivery model, sustaining the outcomes proved to be difficult; hence, the original definition of acuity-adaptable units has not fared well. Variations on the original concept demonstrate that eliminating patient transfers has not been completely abandoned in healthcare redesign and construction initiatives. Terms such as flex-up, flex-down, universal room, and single-stay unit have since emerged. These variations convolute the search for empirical evidence to support the anticipated benefits of the original concept. To determine the future of this concept and its variants, a significant amount of outcome data must be generated by piloting the concept in different hospital settings. As further refinements and adjustments to the concept emerge, the acuity-adaptable room may find a place in future hospitals.

  11. Visual Acuity Testing: Feedback Affects Neither Outcome nor Reproducibility, but Leaves Participants Happier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bach, Michael; Schäfer, Kerstin

    2016-01-01

    Assessment of visual acuity is a well standardized procedure at least for expert opinions and clinical trials. It is often recommended not giving patients feedback on the correctness of their responses. As this viewpoint has not been quantitatively examined so far, we quantitatively assessed possible effects of feedback on visual acuity testing. In 40 normal participants we presented Landolt Cs in 8 orientations using the automated Freiburg Acuity Test (FrACT, feedback was provided in 2 x 4 conditions: (A) no feedback, (B) acoustic signals indicating correctness, (C)visual indication of correct orientation, and (D) a combination of (B) and (C). After each run the participants judged comfort. Main outcome measures were absolute visual acuity (logMAR), its test-retest agreement (limits of agreement) and participants' comfort estimates on a 5-step symmetric Likert scale. Feedback influenced acuity outcome significantly (p = 0.02), but with a tiny effect size: 0.02 logMAR poorer acuity for (D) compared to (A), even weaker effects for (B) and (C). Test-retest agreement was high (limits of agreement: ± 1.0 lines) and did not depend on feedback (p>0.5). The comfort ranking clearly differed, by 2 steps on the Likert scale: the condition (A)-no feedback-was on average "slightly uncomfortable", the other three conditions were "slightly comfortable" (pFeedback affected neither reproducibility nor the acuity outcome to any relevant extent. The participants, however, reported markedly greater comfort with any kind of feedback. We conclude that systematic feedback (as implemented in FrACT) offers nothing but advantages for routine use.

  12. Visual Acuity Improvement in Continuous vs Divided Occlusion in Anisometropic Amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irfani, Irawati; Feriyanto, Feri; Oktarima, Primawita; Kartasasmita, Arief

    2018-01-01

    To compare visual acuity improvement between continuous and split part-time occlusion for the treatment of moderate and severe anisometropic amblyopia. Randomised clinical trials in 6 - 13 y.o children with moderate and severe anisometropic amblyopia. Each patient was consecutively selected with continuous or split part-time occlusion. Best corrected visual acuity's improvement was followed up to six weeks and statistical data were analyzed using chi square and unpaired t-test. Best corrected visual acuity's improvement was comparable between continuous and split part-time occlusion (0.20±0.27 vs 0.21±0.25; p = 0.79). Split part-time occlusion may be considered as an alternative treatment for moderate and severe anisometropic amblyopia treatment.

  13. Measuring the Influence of Galilean Loupe System on Near Visual Acuity of Dentists under Simulated Clinical Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iris Urlić

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare near visual acuity of dentists without optical aids (VSC with near visual acuity of those using the Galilean telescope system (VGA2 with magnification of x 2.5, and the distance of 350 mm in simulated clinical conditions. Methods: The study included 46 dentists (visual acuity 1.0 without correction. A visual acuity testing was carried out using a miniaturized Snellen visual acuity chart which was placed in the cavity of molar teeth mounted in a phantom head in simulated clinical conditions. Near visual acuity for the vicinity was examined: 1 without correction at a distance of 300-400 mm (VSC; 2 with Galilean loupes with magnification of x2.5, focal length of 350mm. Results: The distributions of near visual acuity recorded using VSC and VGA2, 5 systems were compared by the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The results obtained by Wilcoxon Signed Rank test pointed to a statistically significant difference in the distribution of recorded visual acuity between the VSC and VGA2 optical systems (W = - 403.5; p <0.001. Conclusion: If using the VGA2, 5 systems, higher values of the near visual acuity were recorded and subsequently compared to near visual acuity without magnifying aids (VSC.

  14. [Congenital lens subluxation: visual acuity outcomes and intraocular lens postoperative position].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arraes, Caroline; Endriss, Daniela; Lobato, Francisco; Arraes, João; Ventura, Marcelo

    2010-01-01

    To evaluate the visual acuity outcomes and to investigate the intraocular lens (IOL) and endocapsular ring positions with ultrasound biomicroscopy in 17 eyes of 10 patients with congenital lens subluxation who underwent the same surgical technique, by the same surgeon. The study was performed in the ''Hospital de Olhos de Pernambuco'' and ''Fundação Altino Ventura''. The surgical technique consisted of phacoaspiration with implant of endocapsular ring and intraocular lens with one loop haptic amputated. The age varied from 7 to 22 years. Data on visual acuity (VA) before and after surgery, surgery follow-up period, and complications were analyzed. All patients underwent ultrasound biomicroscopy. The mean follow-up period was 2.8 years. There was a VA improvement in 17 (100%) eyes: in 12 eyes (70.6%) the visual acuity was better than 20/40; 4 (23.5%) ranged from 20/40 to 20/100, and 1 (5.9%) had visual acuity worse than 20/100, however better than the preoperative visual acuity. The posterior capsular opacification occurred in 10 eyes (58.9%). Ultrasound biomicroscopy showed that all IOL were partially decentralized, however without surpassing the pupil border limit. Endocapsular ring position was correct and there was a good capsular support in all cases. The evaluated surgical treatment provided good intraocular lens and endocapsular ring position, with VA improvement Thus, this technique is a viable, effective and safe option for the visual rehabilitation of patients with congenital lens subluxation.

  15. ANS acuity and mathematics ability in preschoolers from low-income homes: contributions of inhibitory control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuhs, Mary Wagner; McNeil, Nicole M

    2013-01-01

    Recent findings by Libertus, Feigenson, and Halberda (2011) suggest that there is an association between the acuity of young children's approximate number system (ANS) and their mathematics ability before exposure to instruction in formal schooling. The present study examined the generalizability and validity of these findings in a sample of preschoolers from low-income homes. Children attending Head Start (N = 103) completed measures to assess ANS acuity, mathematics ability, receptive vocabulary, and inhibitory control. Results showed only a weak association between ANS acuity and mathematics ability that was reduced to non-significance when controlling for a direct measure of receptive vocabulary. Results also revealed that inhibitory control plays an important role in the relation between ANS acuity and mathematics ability. Specifically, ANS acuity accounted for significant variance in mathematics ability over and above receptive vocabulary, but only for ANS acuity trials in which surface area conflicted with numerosity. Moreover, this association became non-significant when controlling for inhibitory control. These results suggest that early mathematical experiences prior to formal schooling may influence the strength of the association between ANS acuity and mathematics ability and that inhibitory control may drive that association in young children. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  16. Visual acuity in adults with Asperger's syndrome: no evidence for "eagle-eyed" vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falkmer, Marita; Stuart, Geoffrey W; Danielsson, Henrik; Bram, Staffan; Lönebrink, Mikael; Falkmer, Torbjörn

    2011-11-01

    Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are defined by criteria comprising impairments in social interaction and communication. Altered visual perception is one possible and often discussed cause of difficulties in social interaction and social communication. Recently, Ashwin et al. suggested that enhanced ability in local visual processing in ASC was due to superior visual acuity, but that study has been the subject of methodological criticism, placing the findings in doubt. The present study investigated visual acuity thresholds in 24 adults with Asperger's syndrome and compared their results with 25 control subjects with the 2 Meter 2000 Series Revised ETDRS Chart. The distribution of visual acuities within the two groups was highly similar, and none of the participants had superior visual acuity. Superior visual acuity in individuals with Asperger's syndrome could not be established, suggesting that differences in visual perception in ASC are not explained by this factor. A continued search for explanations of superior ability in local visual processing in persons with ASC is therefore warranted. Copyright © 2011 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. How to measure distance visual acuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janet Marsden

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Visual acuity (VA is a measure of the ability of the eye to distinguish shapes and the details of objects at a given distance. It is important to assess VA in a consistent way in order to detect any changes in vision. One eye is tested at a time.

  18. [Dice test--a simple method for assessment of visual acuity in infants with visual deficits].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohrschneider, K; Brill, B; Bayer, Y; Ahrens, P

    2010-07-01

    Determination of visual acuity in low vision infants or patients with additional cerebral retardation is difficult. In our low vision department we used dice of different sizes and colors as well as other defined objects to determine visual acuity (VA). In this study we compared the results of the dice test with conventional tests for measurement of visual acuity. A total of 88 children with different causes of visual impairment e.g. albinism, retinal scars, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), achromatopsia and optic atrophy etc., were included in this longitudinal study. Median follow-up time was 8.7 years (range 2.9-18.9 years). The first reliable examination was performed between the ages of 4 and 24 months (median 11 months). We estimated VA depending on the edge length of the dice, which were recognized at a distance of 30 cm, while 4 mm complied with VA 20/200. Best corrected binocular visual acuity was compared between the dice test, measurement with the Lea symbols and with numbers or Landolt rings. Estimation of visual acuity using the dice test was possible at the end of the first year of life (median 11 months, range 4-27 months). Although observation is limited to visual acuity results in the low vision range between light reaction and 20/120 there was nearly complete agreement between all three VA measurements. Visual acuity ranged from light perception to 20/20 with a median of 20/100. In 39 patients visual acuity was 20/200 or less at the end of the observation period. Visual acuity estimation overestimated visual acuity only in 5 out of the 88 patients, while in all of the patients with later acuity measurements better than 20/200, our best value of 20/200 was achieved. Using simple visual objects, such as dice with different colors and size down to an edge length of 4 mm, it is possible to estimate visual acuity in low vision infants within the first year of life. This option is also very helpful in patients who are not able to perform other visual

  19. Effect of Target Location on Dynamic Visual Acuity During Passive Horizontal Rotation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appelbaum, Meghan; DeDios, Yiri; Kulecz, Walter; Peters, Brian; Wood, Scott

    2010-01-01

    The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) generates eye rotation to compensate for potential retinal slip in the specific plane of head movement. Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) has been utilized as a functional measure of the VOR. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in accuracy and reaction time when performing a DVA task with targets offset from the plane of rotation, e.g. offset vertically during horizontal rotation. Visual acuity was measured in 12 healthy subjects as they moved a hand-held joystick to indicate the orientation of a computer-generated Landolt C "as quickly and accurately as possible." Acuity thresholds were established with optotypes presented centrally on a wall-mounted LCD screen at 1.3 m distance, first without motion (static condition) and then while oscillating at 0.8 Hz (DVA, peak velocity 60 deg/s). The effect of target location was then measured during horizontal rotation with the optotypes randomly presented in one of nine different locations on the screen (offset up to 10 deg). The optotype size (logMar 0, 0.2 or 0.4, corresponding to Snellen range 20/20 to 20/50) and presentation duration (150, 300 and 450 ms) were counter-balanced across five trials, each utilizing horizontal rotation at 0.8 Hz. Dynamic acuity was reduced relative to static acuity in 7 of 12 subjects by one step size. During the random target trials, both accuracy and reaction time improved proportional to optotype size. Accuracy and reaction time also improved between 150 ms and 300 ms presentation durations. The main finding was that both accuracy and reaction time varied as a function of target location, with greater performance decrements when acquiring vertical targets. We conclude that dynamic visual acuity varies with target location, with acuity optimized for targets in the plane of motion. Both reaction time and accuracy are functionally relevant DVA parameters of VOR function.

  20. The Effect of Ocular Surface Regularity on Contrast Sensitivity and Straylight in Dry Eye

    OpenAIRE

    Koh, Shizuka; Maeda, Naoyuki; Ikeda, Chikako; Asonuma, Sanae; Ogawa, Mai; Hiraoka, Takahiro; Oshika, Tetsuro; Nishida, Kohji

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate the association between visual function and ocular surface regularity in dry eye.Methods: We enrolled 52 eyes of 52 dry eye patients (34 dry eyes with superficial punctate keratopathy [SPK] in the central corneal region [central SPK] and 18 dry eyes without central SPK) and 20 eyes of 20 normal control subjects. All eyes had a best-corrected distance visual acuity better than 20/20. We measured two indices of contrast sensitivity function under photopic conditions: con...

  1. Recognition versus Resolution: a Comparison of Visual Acuity Results Using Two Alternative Test Chart Optotype

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pointer, Jonathan S.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose To quantify the difference between recognition (letter) and resolution (Landolt) visual acuity (VA) in a group of normally sighted subjects. Is it reasonable to assume that the two acuity measures are clinically equivalent? Methods A pair of 6 m acuity test charts was produced: one comprised letters and the other Landolt broken rings. Construction of both charts conformed to the logMAR design format. Monocular VA was determined for the dominant eye of 300 screened and normally sighted optometric patients aged 16 to 40, each wearing an optical refractive (spectacle) correction. Results Letter acuity was superior to Landolt acuity (P≤0.0001). The mean paired acuity difference was -0.041 logMAR (standard deviation 0.034): the 95% limits of agreement were ±0.067 logMAR units or ±3.3 chart optotype. Repeatability was high and similar for each chart type (±2.1 and ±2.4 optotype for letter and Landolt, respectively). Gender, test sequence, and laterality of the dominant eye (left or right) were each non-statistically significant variables. Conclusions For normally sighted subjects wearing an optimal refractive correction, a bias was recorded in favour of recognition over resolution acuity: the clinical difference amounted to approximately 40% of one logMAR chart line, with similar high repeatability for either chart optotype. We conclude that the assumption of clinical equivalence between letter and Landolt acuity is reasonable under optimum test conditions.

  2. The Auckland Optotypes: An open-access pictogram set for measuring recognition acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamm, Lisa M; Yeoman, Janice P; Anstice, Nicola; Dakin, Steven C

    2018-03-01

    When measuring recognition acuity in a research setting, the most widely used symbols are the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) set of 10 Sloan letters. However, the symbols are not appropriate for patients unfamiliar with letters, and acuity for individual letters is variable. Alternative pictogram sets are available, but are generally comprised of fewer items. We set out to develop an open-access set of 10 pictograms that would elicit more consistent estimates of acuity across items than the ETDRS letters from visually normal adults. We measured monocular acuity for individual uncrowded optotypes within a newly designed set (The Auckland Optotype [TAO]), the ETDRS set, and Landolt Cs. Eleven visually normal adults were assessed on regular and vanishing formats of each set. Inter-optotype reliability and ability to detect subtle differences between participants were assessed using intraclass correlations (ICC) and fractional rank precision (FRP). The TAO vanishing set showed the strongest performance (ICC = 0.97, FRP = 0.90), followed by the other vanishing sets (Sloan ICC = 0.88, FRP = 0.74; Landolt ICC = 0.86, FRP = 0.80). Within the regular format, TAO again outperformed the existing sets (TAO ICC = 0.77, FRP = 0.75; Sloan ICC = 0.65, FRP = 0.64; Landolt ICC = 0.48, FRP = 0.63). For adults with normal visual acuity, the new optotypes (in both regular and vanishing formats) are more equally legible and sensitive to subtle individual differences than their Sloan counterparts. As this set does not require observers to be able to name Roman letters, and is freely available to use and modify, it may have wide application for measurement of acuity.

  3. Buccal mucosal cancer patient who failed to recover taste acuity after partial oral cavity irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saito, Tsutomu; Fukushima, Shoko; Furuhashi, Satoru; Yoshinobu, Takashi; Takahashi, Motoichiro; Miyake, Masahiko; Kawamori, Jiro; Tanaka, Yoshiaki

    2002-01-01

    We report a patient who suffered from prolonged loss of taste acuity after partial oral cavity irradiation. The electric taste threshold (ETT) of each point in the oral cavity was measured with an electric gustometer to evaluate quantitative local taste acuity. A subjective total taste acuity (STTA) scale was used to evaluate subjective total taste acuity. A 61-year-old male patient with right buccal mucosal cancer underwent radiation therapy more than 11 years ago, and has suffered from loss of taste acuity since then. He received electron beam irradiation to part of the oral cavity and right upper neck, mainly the right buccal mucosa near the retromolar trigone and a metastatic right submandibular node. He did not receive irradiation to the anterior portion of the tongue or left side of the posterior portion of the tongue. His ETT scores for each point were equal to or greater than 26, and his STTA score was grade 3. The present case implies that radiation damage to part of the oral cavity can cause the loss of subjective total taste acuity. (author)

  4. Buccal mucosal cancer patient who failed to recover taste acuity after partial oral cavity irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saito, Tsutomu; Fukushima, Shoko; Furuhashi, Satoru; Yoshinobu, Takashi; Takahashi, Motoichiro [Nihon Univ., Tokyo (Japan). Surugadai Hospital; Miyake, Masahiko [Nihon Univ., Tokyo (Japan). School of Dentistry; Kawamori, Jiro; Tanaka, Yoshiaki [Nihon Univ., Tokyo (Japan). School of Medicine

    2002-10-01

    We report a patient who suffered from prolonged loss of taste acuity after partial oral cavity irradiation. The electric taste threshold (ETT) of each point in the oral cavity was measured with an electric gustometer to evaluate quantitative local taste acuity. A subjective total taste acuity (STTA) scale was used to evaluate subjective total taste acuity. A 61-year-old male patient with right buccal mucosal cancer underwent radiation therapy more than 11 years ago, and has suffered from loss of taste acuity since then. He received electron beam irradiation to part of the oral cavity and right upper neck, mainly the right buccal mucosa near the retromolar trigone and a metastatic right submandibular node. He did not receive irradiation to the anterior portion of the tongue or left side of the posterior portion of the tongue. His ETT scores for each point were equal to or greater than 26, and his STTA score was grade 3. The present case implies that radiation damage to part of the oral cavity can cause the loss of subjective total taste acuity. (author)

  5. Tactile acuity and lumbopelvic motor control in patients with back pain and healthy controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luomajoki, H; Moseley, G L

    2011-04-01

    Voluntary lumbopelvic control is compromised in patients with back pain. Loss of proprioceptive acuity is one contributor to decreased control. Several reasons for decreased proprioceptive acuity have been proposed, but the integrity of cortical body maps has been overlooked. We investigated whether tactile acuity, a clear clinical signature of primary sensory cortex organisation, relates to lumbopelvic control in people with back pain. Forty-five patients with back pain and 45 age- and sex-matched healthy controls participated in this cross-sectional study. Tactile acuity at the back was assessed using two-point discrimination (TPD) threshold in vertical and horizontal directions. Voluntary motor control was assessed using an established battery of clinical tests. Patients performed worse on the voluntary lumbopelvic tasks than healthy controls did (p<0.001). TPD threshold was larger in patients (mean (SD)=61 (13) mm) than in healthy controls (44 (10) mm). Moreover, larger TPD threshold was positively related to worse performance on the voluntary lumbopelvic tasks (Pearson's r=0.49; p<0.001). Tactile acuity, a clear clinical signature of primary sensory cortex organisation, relates to voluntary lumbopelvic control. This relationship raises the possibility that the former contributes to the latter, in which case training tactile acuity may aid recovery and assist in achieving normal motor performance after back injury.

  6. Wavefront coherence area for predicting visual acuity of post-PRK and post-PARK refractive surgery patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Daniel D.; van de Pol, Corina; Barsky, Brian A.; Klein, Stanley A.

    1999-06-01

    Many current corneal topography instruments (called videokeratographs) provide an `acuity index' based on corneal smoothness to analyze expected visual acuity. However, post-refractive surgery patients often exhibit better acuity than is predicted by such indices. One reason for this is that visual acuity may not necessarily be determined by overall corneal smoothness but rather by having some part of the cornea able to focus light coherently onto the fovea. We present a new method of representing visual acuity by measuring the wavefront aberration, using principles from both ray and wave optics. For each point P on the cornea, we measure the size of the associated coherence area whose optical path length (OPL), from a reference plane to P's focus, is within a certain tolerance of the OPL for P. We measured the topographies and vision of 62 eyes of patients who had undergone the corneal refractive surgery procedures of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and photorefractive astigmatic keratectomy (PARK). In addition to high contrast visual acuity, our vision tests included low contrast and low luminance to test the contribution of the PRK transition zone. We found our metric for visual acuity to be better than all other metrics at predicting the acuity of low contrast and low luminance. However, high contrast visual acuity was poorly predicted by all of the indices we studied, including our own. The indices provided by current videokeratographs sometimes fail for corneas whose shape differs from simple ellipsoidal models. This is the case with post-PRK and post-PARK refractive surgery patients. Our alternative representation that displays the coherence area of the wavefront has considerable advantages, and promises to be a better predictor of low contrast and low luminance visual acuity than current shape measures.

  7. Radiation-induced changes in taste acuity in cancer patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mossman, K.L.; Henkin, R.I.

    1978-01-01

    Changes in taste acuity were measured in 27 patients with various forms of cancer who received radiation to the head and neck region. In 9 of these patients (group I), measurements of taste acuity were made more than 1 year after completion of radiation therapy. In the other 18 patients (group II), taste measurements were made before, during, and approximately 1 month after radiation therapy. Taste acuity was measured for four taste qualities (salt, sweet, sour, and bitter) by a forced choice-three stimulus drop technique which measured detection and recognition thresholds and by a forced scaling technique which measured taste intensity responsiveness. In group II patients, impaired acuity, as indicated by elevated detection and recognition thresholds, was observed approximately 3 weeks after initiation of radiotherapy. The bitter and salt qualities showed the earliest and greatest impairment and the sweet quality the least. Taste intensity responsiveness also was impaired in group II patients. As for thresholds, scaling impairment was most severe for bitter and salt taste qualities. Scaling impairment occurred before changes in either detection or recognition thresholds. Detection and recognition thresholds determined in group I patients also showed salt and bitter qualities were affected more severely than either sweet or sour qualities. Zinc administration to group I patients in an uncontrolled study suggested that zinc therapy may be useful in ameliorating taste impairment in some patients. These results suggest that taste loss may be a factor in the anorexia and weight loss that is observed commonly in patients who have undergone radiation treatment. Correction of this abnormality may be useful in aiding the nutritional status of these patients

  8. Analysis of relationship among visual evoked potential, oscillatory potential and visual acuity under stimulated weightlessness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Zhao

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To observe the influence of head-down tilt simulated weightlessness on visual evoked potential(VEP, oscillatory potentials(OPsand visual acuity, and analyse the relationship among them. METHODS: Head-down tilt for -6° was adopted in 14 healthy volunteers. Distant visual acuity, near visual acuity, VEP and OPs were recorded before, two days and five days after trial. The record procedure of OPs followed the ISCEV standard for full-field clinical electroretinography(2008 update. RESULTS: Significant differences were detected in the amplitude of P100 waves and ∑OPs among various time points(P<0.05. But no relationship was observed among VEP, OPs and visual acuity. CONCLUSION: Head-down tilt simulated weightlessness induce the rearrange of blood of the whole body including eyes, which can make the change of visual electrophysiology but not visual acuity.

  9. Visual acuity and associated factors. The Central India Eye and Medical Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinay Nangia

    Full Text Available Visual acuity is a major parameter for quality of vision and quality of life. Information on visual acuity and its associated factors in rural societies almost untouched by any industrialization is mostly non-available. It was, therefore, the purpose of our study to determine the distribution of visual acuity and its associated factors in a rural population not marked influenced by modern lifestyle. The population-based Central India Eye and Medical Study included 4711 subjects (aged 30+ years, who underwent a detailed ophthalmologic examination including visual acuity measurement. Visual acuity measurements were available for 4706 subjects with a mean age of 49.5±13.4 years (range: 30-100 years. BCVA decreased significantly (P<0.001 from the moderately hyperopic group (0.08±0.15 logMAR to the emmetropic group (0.16±0.52 logMAR, the moderately myopic group (0.28±0.33 logMAR, the highly hyperopic group (0.66±0.62 logMAR and finally the highly myopic group (1.32±0.92 logMAR. In multivariate analysis, BCVA was significantly associated with the systemic parameters of lower age (P<0.001, higher level of education (P<0.001, higher body stature (P<0.001 and higher body mass index (P<0.001, and with the ophthalmic parameters of more hyperopic refractive error (spherical equivalent (P<0.001, shorter axial length (P<0.001, lower degree of nuclear cataract (P<0.001, and lower intraocular pressure (P = 0.006. The results suggest that in the rural population of Central India, major determinants of visual acuity were socioeconomic background, body stature and body mass index, age, refractive error, cataract and intraocular pressure.

  10. Relationship between photoreceptor outer segment length and visual acuity in diabetic macular edema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forooghian, Farzin; Stetson, Paul F; Meyer, Scott A; Chew, Emily Y; Wong, Wai T; Cukras, Catherine; Meyerle, Catherine B; Ferris, Frederick L

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to quantify photoreceptor outer segment (PROS) length in 27 consecutive patients (30 eyes) with diabetic macular edema using spectral domain optical coherence tomography and to describe the correlation between PROS length and visual acuity. Three spectral domain-optical coherence tomography scans were performed on all eyes during each session using Cirrus HD-OCT. A prototype algorithm was developed for quantitative assessment of PROS length. Retinal thicknesses and PROS lengths were calculated for 3 parameters: macular grid (6 x 6 mm), central subfield (1 mm), and center foveal point (0.33 mm). Intrasession repeatability was assessed using coefficient of variation and intraclass correlation coefficient. The association between retinal thickness and PROS length with visual acuity was assessed using linear regression and Pearson correlation analyses. The main outcome measures include intrasession repeatability of macular parameters and correlation of these parameters with visual acuity. Mean retinal thickness and PROS length were 298 mum to 381 microm and 30 microm to 32 mum, respectively, for macular parameters assessed in this study. Coefficient of variation values were 0.75% to 4.13% for retinal thickness and 1.97% to 14.01% for PROS length. Intraclass correlation coefficient values were 0.96 to 0.99 and 0.73 to 0.98 for retinal thickness and PROS length, respectively. Slopes from linear regression analyses assessing the association of retinal thickness and visual acuity were not significantly different from 0 (P > 0.20), whereas the slopes of PROS length and visual acuity were significantly different from 0 (P < 0.0005). Correlation coefficients for macular thickness and visual acuity ranged from 0.13 to 0.22, whereas coefficients for PROS length and visual acuity ranged from -0.61 to -0.81. Photoreceptor outer segment length can be quantitatively assessed using Cirrus HD-OCT. Although the intrasession repeatability of PROS

  11. Tunnel vision: sharper gradient of spatial attention in autism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Caroline E; Kravitz, Dwight J; Freyberg, Jan; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Baker, Chris I

    2013-04-17

    Enhanced perception of detail has long been regarded a hallmark of autism spectrum conditions (ASC), but its origins are unknown. Normal sensitivity on all fundamental perceptual measures-visual acuity, contrast discrimination, and flicker detection-is strongly established in the literature. If individuals with ASC do not have superior low-level vision, how is perception of detail enhanced? We argue that this apparent paradox can be resolved by considering visual attention, which is known to enhance basic visual sensitivity, resulting in greater acuity and lower contrast thresholds. Here, we demonstrate that the focus of attention and concomitant enhancement of perception are sharper in human individuals with ASC than in matched controls. Using a simple visual acuity task embedded in a standard cueing paradigm, we mapped the spatial and temporal gradients of attentional enhancement by varying the distance and onset time of visual targets relative to an exogenous cue, which obligatorily captures attention. Individuals with ASC demonstrated a greater fall-off in performance with distance from the cue than controls, indicating a sharper spatial gradient of attention. Further, this sharpness was highly correlated with the severity of autistic symptoms in ASC, as well as autistic traits across both ASC and control groups. These findings establish the presence of a form of "tunnel vision" in ASC, with far-reaching implications for our understanding of the social and neurobiological aspects of autism.

  12. Presenting visual acuities in a new eye centre in Port Harcourt: initial ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Visual acuity is a fundamental of an eye examination. It establishes in a quantitative way how well an eye can see. Apart from being a starting point in dealing with an eye, it is also a prognostic reference point and a medico-legal tool. Very few studies directly related to visual acuities are available as many ...

  13. Impact of Near Work Activity on Visual Acuity among Junior High School Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raisha Pratiwi Indrawati

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Uncorrected refractive error is experienced by at least 45 million productive-aged adults (aged 16–45 years old and 13 million children (aged 5–15 years old, and being the main cause of visual impairment in children worldwide and third cause of blindness in any age in Indonesia. Near work activity is estimated as one of environmental risk factor causing this refractive error, leading into decreased visual acuity. This study was conducted to analyse the impact of near work activity on visual acuity among junior high school students in Jatinangor Methods: This study was conducted in junior high school in Jatinangor, using cross sectional method. Total of 147 subjects were screened for visual impairment using Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB tumbling E chart and assesed for near work activity using questionnaire-guided interview method after informed consent had been obtained. Data were analysed using unpaired-T test and Mann-Whitney test. Results: Total diopter hours of near work activity among the group with visual acuity ≥6/18 and group with visual acuity <6/18 showed no significant difference (p=0.329, with latter group had less time-spent in near work activity. Similarly, each activity such as reading, watching TV, and using computer also showed no significant difference , except for playing games where the group with better visual acuity had shown significantly longer time spent than another group (p=0.018. Conclusions: Near work activity does not have impact on visual acuity among junior high school students, except for playing games

  14. Vernier But Not Grating Acuity Contributes to an Early Stage of Visual Word Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yufei; Tong, Xiuhong; Chen, Wei; Weng, Xuchu; He, Sheng; Zhao, Jing

    2018-03-28

    The process of reading words depends heavily on efficient visual skills, including analyzing and decomposing basic visual features. Surprisingly, previous reading-related studies have almost exclusively focused on gross aspects of visual skills, while only very few have investigated the role of finer skills. The present study filled this gap and examined the relations of two finer visual skills measured by grating acuity (the ability to resolve periodic luminance variations across space) and Vernier acuity (the ability to detect/discriminate relative locations of features) to Chinese character-processing as measured by character form-matching and lexical decision tasks in skilled adult readers. The results showed that Vernier acuity was significantly correlated with performance in character form-matching but not visual symbol form-matching, while no correlation was found between grating acuity and character processing. Interestingly, we found no correlation of the two visual skills with lexical decision performance. These findings provide for the first time empirical evidence that the finer visual skills, particularly as reflected in Vernier acuity, may directly contribute to an early stage of hierarchical word processing.

  15. An assessment of the iPad as a testing platform for distance visual acuity in adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, J M; Jacobs, R J; Phillips, G; Chen, L; Tan, E; Tran, A; Thompson, B

    2013-01-01

    Objectives Visual acuity is a common measurement in general practice, and the advent of new technology such as tablet computers offers a change in the way in which these tests are delivered. The aim of this study was to assess whether measurements of distance visual acuity using LogMAR letter charts displayed on an iPad tablet computer were in agreement with standard clinical tests of visual acuity in adults with normal vision. Design Blinded, diagnostic test study. Setting Single centre (University) in Auckland, New Zealand. Participants University staff and students (n=85). Participants were required to have visual acuity better than 6/60 and wear habitual refractive correction during testing. Participants were excluded if there was any history of ocular pathology. Primary and secondary outcome measures Visual acuity measured under a number of conditions. Results The iPad tablet with its glossy screen was highly susceptible to glare resulting in acuity measurements that were significantly poorer (approximately 2 LogMAR lines) than those made using an ETDRS chart and a standard computerised testing system (n=56). However, fitting the iPad with an antiglare screen and positioning the device away from sources creating reflected (veiling) glare resulted in acuity measurements that were equivalent those made using gold standard charts (n=29). Conclusions Tablet computers are an attractive option for visual acuity measurement due to portability, the ability to randomise letters, automated scoring of acuity and the ability to select from a range of charts. However, these devices are only suitable for use in situations where sources of glare can be eliminated. PMID:23794568

  16. Managing the impact of growing low-acuity demand on ambulance services

    OpenAIRE

    KATHRYN JEAN EASTWOOD

    2018-01-01

    Increasing demand for emergency ambulances places a substantial burden on ambulance services. Many cases are low-acuity, having no urgent clinical need for paramedic treatment. Ambulance Victoria implemented a secondary telephone triage services to divert low-acuity cases away from emergency ambulances to more appropriate care. This research found this ‘Referral Service’ has had a substantial impact upon emergency operations, referring over 70% of the cases it managed away from emergency am...

  17. Fluctuation in visual acuity during soft toric contact lens wear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamberlain, Paul; Morgan, Philip B; Moody, Kurt J; Maldonado-Codina, Carole

    2011-04-01

    To quantify changes in visual acuity (VA) with soft toric contact lenses as a result of lens movement and/or rotational instability caused by versional eye movements. A novel chart for vision assessment at near (40 cm) for soft toric contact lenses (VANT chart),consisting of a central, color-coded logMAR panel and eight peripheral letter targets set on a white background measuring 60 × 40 cm was constructed. In the developmental phase of the work, 10 subjects (20 eyes) wore 2 toric lenses in random order, and the impact of rapid and delayed eye versions in 8 directions of gaze on VANT acuity was investigated. In phase 2, 35 subjects (68 eyes) wore 4 toric lenses in random order, and a streamlined clinical protocol using the VANT chart was implemented. Standard assessments of toric lens fit and distance VA were also performed. Testing in the first phase showed no difference for change in VA for rapid vs. delayed version movements, (p = 0.17) but acuity reduction was greater for diagonal compared with horizontal/vertical versions (p = 0.06). As such, testing in phase 2 proceeded using rapid, diagonal versions only. In this second phase, there were differences for low-contrast distance VA measures between lens types (p = 0.02) and for both VANT baseline acuity (p = 0.03) and postversion acuity (p = 0.04), but no differences were found between lenses for magnitude of vision loss (p = 0.91), which was about one line. No relationship was established between the magnitude of vision loss and measured rotational stability (p = 0.75). This work has demonstrated that conventional approaches to measuring VA do not fully replicate the "real world" experience of soft toric lens wearers. The VANT chart has shown that VA is reduced immediately after versional eye movements and suggests that more dynamic methods of assessing visual performance should be considered for soft toric contact lens wearers, especially given the apparent inability of lens stability measurements to predict

  18. The flex track: flexible partitioning between low- and high-acuity areas of an emergency department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laker, Lauren F; Froehle, Craig M; Lindsell, Christopher J; Ward, Michael J

    2014-12-01

    Emergency departments (EDs) with both low- and high-acuity treatment areas often have fixed allocation of resources, regardless of demand. We demonstrate the utility of discrete-event simulation to evaluate flexible partitioning between low- and high-acuity ED areas to identify the best operational strategy for subsequent implementation. A discrete-event simulation was used to model patient flow through a 50-bed, urban, teaching ED that handles 85,000 patient visits annually. The ED has historically allocated 10 beds to a fast track for low-acuity patients. We estimated the effect of a flex track policy, which involved switching up to 5 of these fast track beds to serving both low- and high-acuity patients, on patient waiting times. When the high-acuity beds were not at capacity, low-acuity patients were given priority access to flexible beds. Otherwise, high-acuity patients were given priority access to flexible beds. Wait times were estimated for patients by disposition and Emergency Severity Index score. A flex track policy using 3 flexible beds produced the lowest mean patient waiting time of 30.9 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI] 30.6 to 31.2 minutes). The typical fast track approach of rigidly separating high- and low-acuity beds produced a mean patient wait time of 40.6 minutes (95% CI 40.2 to 50.0 minutes), 31% higher than that of the 3-bed flex track. A completely flexible ED, in which all beds can accommodate any patient, produced mean wait times of 35.1 minutes (95% CI 34.8 to 35.4 minutes). The results from the 3-bed flex track scenario were robust, performing well across a range of scenarios involving higher and lower patient volumes and care durations. Using discrete-event simulation, we have shown that adding some flexibility into bed allocation between low and high acuity can provide substantial reductions in overall patient waiting and a more efficient ED. Copyright © 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc

  19. Spatial contrast sensitivity vision loss in children with cortical visual impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Good, William V; Hou, Chuan; Norcia, Anthony M

    2012-11-19

    Although cortical visual impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of bilateral vision impairment in children in Western countries, little is known about the effects of CVI on visual function. The aim of this study was to compare visual evoked potential measures of contrast sensitivity and grating acuity in children with CVI with those of age-matched typically developing controls. The swept parameter visual evoked potential (sVEP) was used to measure contrast sensitivity and grating acuity in 34 children with CVI at 5 months to 5 years of age and in 16 age-matched control children. Contrast thresholds and spatial frequency thresholds (grating acuities) were derived by extrapolating the tuning functions to zero amplitude. These thresholds and maximal suprathreshold response amplitudes were compared between groups. Among 34 children with CVI, 30 had measurable but reduced contrast sensitivity with a median threshold of 10.8% (range 5.0%-30.0% Michelson), and 32 had measurable but reduced grating acuity with median threshold 0.49 logMAR (9.8 c/deg, range 5-14 c/deg). These thresholds were significantly reduced, compared with age-matched control children. In addition, response amplitudes over the entire sweep range for both measures were significantly diminished in children with CVI compared with those of control children. Our results indicate that spatial contrast sensitivity and response amplitudes are strongly affected by CVI. The substantial degree of loss in contrast sensitivity suggests that contrast is a sensitive measure for evaluating vision deficits in patients with CVI.

  20. [Measuring contrast sensitivity using visual acuity tests in retinal and optic nerve diseases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommer, E; Marré, E; Mierdel, P

    1990-01-01

    The luminance contrast needed to discern various test types was measured with monochromatic and achromatic light to detect discrete functional deficiencies of the retina and optic nerve in cases of normal visual acuity. Landolt rings corresponding to visual acuity levels from 0.04 to 1.0 were used as test types. A significant increase in the necessary minimum contrast was detectable with blue test light on large Landolt rings in patients with diabetic retinopathy, ocular hypertension and glaucoma and with green or yellow test light on medium-sized and small Landolt rings in patients with central serous chorioidopathy and optic atrophy. The additional contrast needed to reach the maximum visual acuity amounts to 14-100% compared with normal visual acuity, depending on the color of the test light and the diagnosis. The amount of contrast needed is greatest in retinal diseases, and it is therefore possible to a certain extent to distinguish these from diseases of the optic nerve.

  1. Impact of Target Distance, Target Size, and Visual Acuity on the Video Head Impulse Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Judge, Paul D; Rodriguez, Amanda I; Barin, Kamran; Janky, Kristen L

    2018-05-01

    The video head impulse test (vHIT) assesses the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Few have evaluated whether environmental factors or visual acuity influence the vHIT. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of target distance, target size, and visual acuity on vHIT outcomes. Thirty-eight normal controls and 8 subjects with vestibular loss (VL) participated. vHIT was completed at 3 distances and with 3 target sizes. Normal controls were subdivided on the basis of visual acuity. Corrective saccade frequency, corrective saccade amplitude, and gain were tabulated. In the normal control group, there were no significant effects of target size or visual acuity for any vHIT outcome parameters; however, gain increased as target distance decreased. The VL group demonstrated higher corrective saccade frequency and amplitude and lower gain as compared with controls. In conclusion, decreasing target distance increases gain for normal controls but not subjects with VL. Preliminarily, visual acuity does not affect vHIT outcomes.

  2. Crowded letter and crowded picture logMAR acuity in children with amblyopia: a quantitative comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Boyle, Cathy; Chen, Sean I; Little, Julie-Anne

    2017-04-01

    Clinically, picture acuity tests are thought to overestimate visual acuity (VA) compared with letter tests, but this has not been systematically investigated in children with amblyopia. This study compared VA measurements with the LogMAR Crowded Kay Picture test to the LogMAR Crowded Keeler Letter acuity test in a group of young children with amblyopia. 58 children (34 male) with amblyopia (22 anisometropic, 18 strabismic and 18 with both strabismic/anisometropic amblyopia) aged 4-6 years (mean=68.7, range=48-83 months) underwent VA measurements. VA chart testing order was randomised, but the amblyopic eye was tested before the fellow eye. All participants wore up-to-date refractive correction. The Kay Picture test significantly overestimated VA by 0.098 logMAR (95% limits of agreement (LOA), 0.13) in the amblyopic eye and 0.088 logMAR (95% LOA, 0.13) in the fellow eye, respectively (pocclusion therapy, refractive correction or type of amblyopia on VA results (p>0.23). For both the amblyopic and fellow eyes, Bland-Altman plots demonstrated a systematic and predictable difference between Kay Picture and Keeler Letter charts across the range of acuities tested (Keeler acuity: amblyopic eye 0.75 to -0.05 logMAR; fellow eye 0.45 to -0.15 logMAR). Linear regression analysis (pamblyopia. Due to the predictable difference found between both crowded logMAR acuity tests, it is reasonable to adjust Kay Picture acuity thresholds by +0.10 logMAR to compute expected Keeler Letter acuity scores. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  3. Factors accounting for the 4-year change in acuity in patients between 50 and 80 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koenig, Darren E; Nguyen, Lan Chi; Parker, Katrina E; Applegate, Raymond A

    2013-07-01

    It is well known that acuity slowly decreases in the later decades of life. We wish to determine the extent by which 4-year longitudinal acuity changes can be accounted for by changes in optical quality, or combination of optical quality metrics and of age between 50 and 80 years. High-contrast logMAR acuity, 35 image quality metrics, 4 intraocular scatter metrics, and 4 Lens Opacification Classification System III metrics and entry age were measured on one eye of each of the 148 subjects. Acuity change between baseline and the last visit was regressed against change in each metric for all eyes and a faster changing subset of 50 eyes with a gain or loss of four or more letters. Average change across 148 subjects was a 1.6 ± 4 letter loss (t148 = 4.31, p model for faster changing eyes included change in point spread function entropy, posterior subcapsular cataract, and trefoil and baseline age (sequential r adjusted values of 0.19, 0.27, 0.32, and 0.34, respectively; p = 1.48 × 10 for the full four-factor model). The same variables entered the multiple-regression model for the full 148 data set where most of the acuity measurements were within test-retest error and accounted for less of the variance (r adjusted = 0.15, p = 2.37 × 10). Despite being near noise levels for the measurement of acuity, change in optical quality metrics was the most important factor in eyes that lost or gained four or more letters of acuity. These findings should be generalizable given that our 4-year acuity change is essentially identical to other studies and indicate that these optical quality markers can be used to help identify those on a faster track to an acuity change.

  4. Simulating Visibility Under Reduced Acuity and Contrast Sensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, William B.; Legge, Gordon E.; Kersten, Daniel J.; Shakespeare, Robert A.; Lei, Quan

    2017-01-01

    Architects and lighting designers have difficulty designing spaces that are accessible to those with low vision, since the complex nature of most architectural spaces requires a site-specific analysis of the visibility of mobility hazards and key landmarks needed for navigation. We describe a method that can be utilized in the architectural design process for simulating the effects of reduced acuity and contrast on visibility. The key contribution is the development of a way to parameterize the simulation using standard clinical measures of acuity and contrast sensitivity. While these measures are known to be imperfect predictors of visual function, they provide a way of characterizing general levels of visual performance that is familiar to both those working in low vision and our target end-users in the architectural and lighting design communities. We validate the simulation using a letter recognition task. PMID:28375328

  5. The validity of visual acuity assessment using mobile technology devices in the primary care setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neill, Samuel; McAndrew, Darryl J

    2016-04-01

    The assessment of visual acuity is indicated in a number of clinical circumstances. It is commonly conducted through the use of a Snellen wall chart. Mobile technology developments and adoption rates by clinicians may potentially provide more convenient methods of assessing visual acuity. Limited data exist on the validity of these devices and applications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the assessment of distance visual acuity using mobile technology devices against the commonly used 3-metre Snellen chart in a primary care setting. A prospective quantitative comparative study was conducted at a regional medical practice. The visual acuity of 60 participants was assessed on a Snellen wall chart and two mobile technology devices (iPhone, iPad). Visual acuity intervals were converted to logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) scores and subjected to intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) assessment. The results show a high level of general agreement between testing modality (ICC 0.917 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.887-0.940). The high level of agreement of visual acuity results between the Snellen wall chart and both mobile technology devices suggests that clinicians can use this technology with confidence in the primary care setting.

  6. Relationship between socioeconomic deprivation 
or urban/rural residence and visual acuity before cataract surgery in Northern Scotland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chua, Paul Y; Mustafa, Mohammed S; Scott, Neil W; Kumarasamy, Manjula; Azuara-Blanco, Augusto

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the influence of socioeconomic factors on visual acuity before cataract surgery. 
 The medical case notes of 240 consecutive patients listed for cataract surgery from January 1, 2010, at Grampian University Hospital, Aberdeen, were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with ocular comorbidity were excluded. Demographics, postal codes, and visual acuity were recorded. Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation was used to determine the deprivation rank. Home location was classified as urban or rural. The effect of these parameters on preoperative visual acuity was investigated using chi-square tests or Fisher exact test as appropriate. 
 A total of 184 patients (mean 75 years) were included. A total of 127 (69%) patients had visual acuity of 6/12 or better. An association was found between affluence and preoperative visual acuity of 6/12 or better (χ2trend = 4.97, p = 0.03), with a significant rising trend across quintile of deprivation. There was no evidence to suggest association between geographical region and preoperative visual acuity (p = 0.63). 
 Affluence was associated with good visual acuity (6/12 or better) before cataract surgery. There was no difference in preoperative visual acuity between rural and urban populations.

  7. LASIK for myopia and astigmatism using the SCHWIND AMARIS excimer laser: an international multicenter trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arbelaez, Maria Clara; Aslanides, Ioannis M; Barraquer, Carmen; Carones, Francesco; Feuermannova, Alena; Neuhann, Tobias; Rozsival, Pavel

    2010-02-01

    To assess the efficacy, predictability, and safety of LASIK for the surgical correction of low to moderate myopia with astigmatism using the SCHWIND AMARIS excimer laser. Six international study sites enrolled 358 eyes with a manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE) from -0.50 to -7.38 diopters (D) (mean sphere: -3.13+/-1.58 D) with up to -5.00 D of astigmatism (mean: -0.69+/-0.67 D). All eyes underwent treatment with the nonwavefront-guided aspheric algorithm of the SCHWIND AMARIS excimer laser. All eyes were targeted for emmetropia. Refractive outcomes and corneal higher order aberrations were analyzed pre- and postoperatively. Visual quality was assessed using photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity. Six-month postoperative outcomes are reported. At 6 months postoperative, the MRSE for all eyes was -0.21+/-0.20 D, and 96% (343/358) of eyes had MRSE within +/-0.50 D. Uncorrected visual acuity was 20/20 or better in 98% (351/358) of eyes, and no eyes lost 2 or more lines of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity. The total corneal higher order aberrations root-mean-square increased by 0.09 microm, spherical aberration increased by 0.08 microm, and coma increased by 0.04 microm postoperatively. Photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity did not change 6 months postoperatively. Treatment of myopia with astigmatism using the SCHWIND AMARIS excimer laser is safe, efficacious, predictable, and maintains visual quality.

  8. Visual acuity and quality of life in dry eye disease: Proceedings of the OCEAN group meeting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benítez-Del-Castillo, José; Labetoulle, Marc; Baudouin, Christophe; Rolando, Maurizio; Akova, Yonca A; Aragona, Pasquale; Geerling, Gerd; Merayo-Lloves, Jesús; Messmer, Elisabeth M; Boboridis, Kostas

    2017-04-01

    Dry eye disease (DED) results in tear film instability and hyperosmolarity, inflammation of the ocular surface and, ultimately, visual disturbance that can significantly impact a patient's quality of life. The effects on visual acuity result in difficulties with driving, reading and computer use and negatively impact psychological health. These effects also extend to the workplace, with a loss of productivity and quality of work causing substantial economic losses. The effects of DED and the impact on vision experienced by patients may not be given sufficient importance by ophthalmologists. Functional visual acuity (FVA) is a measure of visual acuity after sustained eye opening without blinking for at least 10 s and mimics the sustained visual acuity of daily life. Measuring dynamic FVA allows the detection of impaired visual function in patients with DED who may display normal conventional visual acuity. There are currently several tests and methods that can be used to measure dynamic visual function: the SSC-350 FVA measurement system, assessment of best-corrected visual acuity decay using the interblink visual acuity decay test, serial measurements of ocular and corneal higher order aberrations, and measurement of dynamic vision quality using the Optical Quality Analysis System. Although the equipment for these methods may be too large or unaffordable for use in clinical practice, FVA testing is an important assessment for DED. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. The use of acuity and frailty measures for district nursing workforce plans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Ami; Saunders, Mary

    2018-02-02

    This article discusses the use of Quest acuity and frailty measures for community nursing interventions to quantify and qualify the contributions of district nursing teams. It describes the use of a suite of acuity and frailty tools tested in 8 UK community service trusts over the past 5years. In addition, a competency assessment tool was used to gauge both capacity and capability of individual nurses. The consistency of the results obtained from the Quest audits offer significant evidence and potential for realigning community nursing services to offer improvements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The National Quality Board (NQB) improvement resource for the district nursing services ( NQB, 2017 ) recommends a robust method for classifying patient acuity/frailty/dependency. It is contended the Quest tools and their usage articulated here offer a suitable methodology.

  10. Relationship between Outer Retinal Layers Thickness and Visual Acuity in Diabetic Macular Edema

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond L. M. Wong

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To investigate the correlation of outer retinal layers (ORL thickness and visual acuity (VA in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME. Methods. Consecutive DME patients seen at the Retina Clinic of The University of Hong Kong were recruited for OCT assessment. The ORL thickness was defined as the distance between external limiting membrane (ELM and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE at the foveal center. The correlation between total retinal thickness, ORL thickness, and vision was calculated. Results. 78 patients with DME were recruited. The mean age was 58.1 years (±11.5 years and their mean visual acuity measured with Snellen chart was 0.51 (±0.18. The correlation coefficient between total retinal thickness and visual acuity was 0.34 (P < 0.001 whereas the correlation coefficient was 0.65 between ORL thickness and visual acuity (P < 0.001. Conclusion. ORL thickness correlates better with vision than the total retinal thickness. It is a novel OCT parameter in the assessment of DME. Moreover, it could be a potential long term visual prognostic factor for patients with DME.

  11. Proprioceptive acuity into knee hypermobile range in children with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome

    OpenAIRE

    Pacey, Verity; Adams, Roger D; Tofts, Louise; Munns, Craig F; Nicholson, Leslie L

    2014-01-01

    Background Children with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) have reduced knee joint proprioceptive acuity compared to peers. Altered proprioception at end of range in individuals with JHS is hypothesised to contribute to recurrent joint injuries and instability. This study aims to provide the first objective comparison of functional knee joint proprioceptive acuity in hyperextension range compared to early flexion range in children with JHS. Methods Active, weight-bearing knee joint proprioce...

  12. ELECTROOCULOGRAPHY AND PATTERN ERG IN THE DIAGNOSTICS OF BEST’S VITELLIFORM DISTROPHY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martina Jarc-Vidmar

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Background. The aim of the study was to develop electrooculography in accordance with ISCEV standards and to test its accuracy in the diagnosis of Best’s disease, where the EOG results should be invariably abnormal in all affected members. The pathophysiology of Best’s disease is not yet completely understood, so pattern and full field flash ERG responses compared to visual acuity and stage of the disease were used to asses the neurosensory retinal function in different stages of Best’s disease.Patients and methods. The EOG was recorded in accordance with ISCEV standards on 30 healthy individuals to determine normal values of our laboratory. Pattern as well as photopic and scotopic ERG were recorded on 24 eyes of 12 patients with typical Best’s disease with abnormal EOG responses. The results were compared to visual acuity and stage of the disease.Results. Our EOG normative data are comparable with results from other laboratories: the mean value of Arden ratio is 2.32, the range of 2 standard deviations from the mean value is from 1.6 to 3.04. The patients with Best’s disease have statisticaly significant lower values of Arden ratio (the mean value beeing 1.19. 12 patients (24 eyes with Best’s disease with abnormal EOG values were divided in two groups according to visual acuity. In the first group of 12 eyes with visual acuity > 0.5 PERG P50 and N95 responses were all in the normal range. In the second group of 12 eyes with visual acuity 0.5 or less PERG showed reduced both P50 and N95 responses in 5 eyes, and N95 solely, in two eyes.The photopic and scotopic electroretinographic responses were normal in all patients. Progression of the disease, seen in the deterioration of visual acuity, corresponded well with reduction of both PERG P50 and N95 responses. There was no correlation found between visual acuity and EOG responses.Conclusions. In the study on patients with Best’s disease, it was confirmed that EOG is a very sensitive

  13. Bevacizumab Injection in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration Associated with Poor Initial Visual Acuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leila El Matri

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To evaluate functional and anatomic effects of intravitreal bevacizumab in patients with neovascular AMD and initial low visual acuity. Methods. Retrospective case series of 38 eyes with neovascular AMD and initial visual acuity of 20/200 or less, treated with intravitreal bevacizumab injection. Results. Mean followup was 14.1 months ±7.1 (range: 5 to 24 months. Mean logMAR vision at baseline was 1.38 logMAR ±0.33, at 6 months was 1.14 logMAR ±0.37 (=0.001 and at 12 months was 1.22 logMar ±0.33 (=0.004. Mean baseline central retinal thickness was 431 μm ±159.7 at 6 months was 293.43 μm  ±122.79 (=10−4 and at 12 months was 293.1 μm  ±130 (=0.004. Visual acuity improved in both patients with or without prior PDT treatment. Conclusions. Intravitreal bevacizumab injection may increase the chance of visual acuity gain in neovascular AMD even in cases with initial low visual acuity.

  14. Eye size and visual acuity influence vestibular anatomy in mammals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemp, Addison D; Christopher Kirk, E

    2014-04-01

    The semicircular canals of the inner ear detect head rotations and trigger compensatory movements that stabilize gaze and help maintain visual fixation. Mammals with large eyes and high visual acuity require precise gaze stabilization mechanisms because they experience diminished visual functionality at low thresholds of uncompensated motion. Because semicircular canal radius of curvature is a primary determinant of canal sensitivity, species with large canal radii are expected to be capable of more precise gaze stabilization than species with small canal radii. Here, we examine the relationship between mean semicircular canal radius of curvature, eye size, and visual acuity in a large sample of mammals. Our results demonstrate that eye size and visual acuity both explain a significant proportion of the variance in mean canal radius of curvature after statistically controlling for the effects of body mass and phylogeny. These findings suggest that variation in mean semicircular canal radius of curvature among mammals is partly the result of selection for improved gaze stabilization in species with large eyes and acute vision. Our results also provide a possible functional explanation for the small semicircular canal radii of fossorial mammals and plesiadapiforms. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Recognition versus Resolution: a Comparison of Visual Acuity Results Using Two Alternative Test Chart Optotype

    OpenAIRE

    Jonathan S. Pointer

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: To quantify the difference between recognition (letter) and resolution (Landolt) visual acuity (VA) in a group of normally sighted subjects. Is it reasonable to assume that the two acuity measures are clinically equivalent? Methods: A pair of 6 m acuity test charts was produced: one comprised letters and the other Landolt broken rings. Construction of both charts conformed to the logMAR design format. Monocular VA was determined for the dominant eye of 300 screened and normally si...

  16. Visual Temporal Acuity Is Related to Auditory Speech Perception Abilities in Cochlear Implant Users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahn, Kelly N; Stevenson, Ryan A; Wallace, Mark T

    Despite significant improvements in speech perception abilities following cochlear implantation, many prelingually deafened cochlear implant (CI) recipients continue to rely heavily on visual information to develop speech and language. Increased reliance on visual cues for understanding spoken language could lead to the development of unique audiovisual integration and visual-only processing abilities in these individuals. Brain imaging studies have demonstrated that good CI performers, as indexed by auditory-only speech perception abilities, have different patterns of visual cortex activation in response to visual and auditory stimuli as compared with poor CI performers. However, no studies have examined whether speech perception performance is related to any type of visual processing abilities following cochlear implantation. The purpose of the present study was to provide a preliminary examination of the relationship between clinical, auditory-only speech perception tests, and visual temporal acuity in prelingually deafened adult CI users. It was hypothesized that prelingually deafened CI users, who exhibit better (i.e., more acute) visual temporal processing abilities would demonstrate better auditory-only speech perception performance than those with poorer visual temporal acuity. Ten prelingually deafened adult CI users were recruited for this study. Participants completed a visual temporal order judgment task to quantify visual temporal acuity. To assess auditory-only speech perception abilities, participants completed the consonant-nucleus-consonant word recognition test and the AzBio sentence recognition test. Results were analyzed using two-tailed partial Pearson correlations, Spearman's rho correlations, and independent samples t tests. Visual temporal acuity was significantly correlated with auditory-only word and sentence recognition abilities. In addition, proficient CI users, as assessed via auditory-only speech perception performance, demonstrated

  17. Femtosecond-Assisted LASIK Versus PRK: Comparison of 6-Month Visual Acuity and Quality Outcome for High Myopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashemi, Hassan; Miraftab, Mohammad; Ghaffari, Reza; Asgari, Soheila

    2016-11-01

    To compare the results of femtosecond-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (femto-LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy with mitomycin C (PRK-MMC) for the correction of myopia more than 7.0 diopters (D). In this comparative nonrandomized trial, 60 eyes (30 eyes in each group) were enrolled. Patients were tested for uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction spherical equivalent, ocular and corneal aberrations, and contrast sensitivity (CS) before surgery and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Mean preoperative myopia was -8.65±1.51 and -8.04±1.70 D in the femto-LASIK and PRK-MMC groups, respectively (P=0.149). Intergroup differences in baseline indices were not statistically significant. At 6 months after surgery, UDVA showed an improving trend, but it was better in the femto-LASIK group (P=0.026). CDVA in the two groups remained similarly unchanged (P=0.170). For the femto-LASIK and PRK-MMC groups, the safety indices were 1.01±0.05 and 1.01±0.14 (P=0.949), respectively, and the efficacy indices were 0.99±0.07 and 0.93±0.22 (P=0.192), respectively. Comparing CS, only CS18 showed a significantly greater decrease in the femto-LASIK group compared with the PRK-MMC group (P=0.016). Intergroup differences were not statistically significant in other spatial frequencies. Changes in the ocular and corneal higher order aberrations were not statistically different between the two groups except ocular coma, which increased in the femto-LASIK group (P=0.041). Femto-LASIK improves UDVA better than PRK-MMC in high myopia. However, because of increased coma, the quality of vision is reduced. In other words, visual acuity outcome is better with femto-LASIK and visual quality outcome is better with PRK-MMC.

  18. Creation of an Accurate Algorithm to Detect Snellen Best Documented Visual Acuity from Ophthalmology Electronic Health Record Notes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mbagwu, Michael; French, Dustin D; Gill, Manjot; Mitchell, Christopher; Jackson, Kathryn; Kho, Abel; Bryar, Paul J

    2016-05-04

    Visual acuity is the primary measure used in ophthalmology to determine how well a patient can see. Visual acuity for a single eye may be recorded in multiple ways for a single patient visit (eg, Snellen vs. Jäger units vs. font print size), and be recorded for either distance or near vision. Capturing the best documented visual acuity (BDVA) of each eye in an individual patient visit is an important step for making electronic ophthalmology clinical notes useful in research. Currently, there is limited methodology for capturing BDVA in an efficient and accurate manner from electronic health record (EHR) notes. We developed an algorithm to detect BDVA for right and left eyes from defined fields within electronic ophthalmology clinical notes. We designed an algorithm to detect the BDVA from defined fields within 295,218 ophthalmology clinical notes with visual acuity data present. About 5668 unique responses were identified and an algorithm was developed to map all of the unique responses to a structured list of Snellen visual acuities. Visual acuity was captured from a total of 295,218 ophthalmology clinical notes during the study dates. The algorithm identified all visual acuities in the defined visual acuity section for each eye and returned a single BDVA for each eye. A clinician chart review of 100 random patient notes showed a 99% accuracy detecting BDVA from these records and 1% observed error. Our algorithm successfully captures best documented Snellen distance visual acuity from ophthalmology clinical notes and transforms a variety of inputs into a structured Snellen equivalent list. Our work, to the best of our knowledge, represents the first attempt at capturing visual acuity accurately from large numbers of electronic ophthalmology notes. Use of this algorithm can benefit research groups interested in assessing visual acuity for patient centered outcome. All codes used for this study are currently available, and will be made available online at https://phekb.org.

  19. Lawn mower injuries as a cause of serious visual acuity impairment - Case reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jasielska, Monika; Winiarczyk, Mateusz; Bieliński, Paweł; Mackiewicz, Jerzy

    2017-05-11

    [b]Abstract Objective.[/b] The aim of the study is to present four cases of lawn mowers injuries as a cause of serious visual acuity impairment. [b]Materials and Method[/b]. A retrospective study of four patients admitted in 2013-2015 to the Department of Vitreoretinal Surgery in Lublin with severe open or closed globe injury, one with an intraocular foreign body (IOFB). The presence of eye protective equipment was assessed, as well as visual acuity, eye tissue condition before and after treatment, and applied therapy. In all cases an improvement was achieved in local conditions. The intraocular foreign body was removed, wounds sutured and damaged tissues placed in position. All eyeballs were saved. In three cases, visual acuity was improved to a usable level. Three patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy, one with IOFB removal from the vitreous cavity. [b]Conclusions[/b]. Lawn mower induced eye injuries are a significant cause of serious visual acuity impairment or blindness. The presented study shows that lawn mower eye injuries are still a therapeutic, social and economic problem, yet are very preventable with proper eye protection and patients' education. Current prevention strategies are inadequate, and therefore should be updated.

  20. Contrast visual acuity after multifocal intraocular lens implantation:aspheric versus spherical design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun-Hua Li

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To evaluate contrast visual acuity (CVA after implantation of an aspheric apodized diffractive intraocular lens (IOL or a spherical apodized diffractive IOL in cataract surgery.METHOD: This prospective randomized controlled study with a 12-month follow-up compared the results of cataract surgery with implantation of an aspheric AcrySof ReSTOR SN6AD3 IOL (30 eyes and a spherical AcrySof ReSTOR SN60D3 IOL (30 eyes. CVA with best distance correction was measured at 4 contrast levels (100%, 25%, 10% and 5% under 3 levels of chart luminance [250, 85 and 25 candelas per square meter (cd/m2] using a multi-functional visual acuity tester (MFVA-100.RESULTS:At 12 months after surgery, there were no statistically significant differences in 100% CVA and 25% CVA under 250cd/m2 (P100%=0.875 and P25%=0.057 and 85cd/m2 (P100%=0.198 and P25%=0.193 between the aspheric group and the spherical group. However, the 10% CVA and 5% CVA were significant better in aspheric group than spherical group under 250cd/m2 (P10%=0.042 and P5%=0.007 and 85cd/m2 (P10%=0.002 and P5%=0.039. Under the luminance level of 25cd/m2, no significant differences was found in the 100% CVA between the 2 group (P100%=0.245, while aspheric group had better visual acuity in the remaining 3 contracts (P25%=0.023, P10%=0.026 and P5%=0.002, respectively.CONCULSION:The aspheric AcrySof ReSTOR SN6AD3 IOL provided patients with better low-contrast visual acuity than the spherical AcrySof ReSTOR SN60D3 IOL.Keyword:cataract surgery; intraocular lens; contrast sensitivity; visual acuity

  1. Gender and environmental influences on visual acuity in Owerri ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    olayemitoyin

    1Optometry Unit, Eye Clinic, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, 2Department of Physiology, College ... Visual acuity (V.A.) is a measure of visual function in health and disease. ..... environment especially during harmattan and dry.

  2. Revealing Detail along the Visual Hierarchy: Neural Clustering Preserves Acuity from V1 to V4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Yiliang; Yin, Jiapeng; Chen, Zheyuan; Gong, Hongliang; Liu, Ye; Qian, Liling; Li, Xiaohong; Liu, Rui; Andolina, Ian Max; Wang, Wei

    2018-04-18

    How primates perceive objects along with their detailed features remains a mystery. This ability to make fine visual discriminations depends upon a high-acuity analysis of spatial frequency (SF) along the visual hierarchy from V1 to inferotemporal cortex. By studying the transformation of SF across macaque parafoveal V1, V2, and V4, we discovered SF-selective functional domains in V4 encoding higher SFs up to 12 cycles/°. These intermittent higher-SF-selective domains, surrounded by domains encoding lower SFs, violate the inverse relationship between SF preference and retinal eccentricity. The neural activities of higher- and lower-SF domains correspond to local and global features, respectively, of the same stimuli. Neural response latencies in high-SF domains are around 10 ms later than in low-SF domains, consistent with the coarse-to-fine nature of perception. Thus, our finding of preserved resolution from V1 into V4, separated both spatially and temporally, may serve as a connecting link for detailed object representation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Acuidade visual e eletrorretinografia de campo total em pacientes com síndrome de Usher Visual acuity and full-field electroretinography in patients with Usher's syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luana Mendieta

    2005-04-01

    and visual acuity (VA among patients with type I and II Usher's syndrome. METHODS: Electroretinography responses and visual acuity were studied in 22 patients (mean age at test = 26.8±16.8 years. Seventeen patients had SU type I and 5 patients were diagnosed as Usher's syndrome type II. RESULTS: Mean visual acuity was 0.9 logMAR (20/160, Snellen equivalent for patients with Usher's syndrome type I and 0.4 logMAR (20/50, Snellen equivalent for patients with Usher's syndrome type II. Scotopic rod and maximal responses were non-detectable in both groups. Mean amplitude for oscillatory potentials was 14.5 µV ±6.1 in Usher's syndrome type I and 12.6 µV±5.2 in Usher's syndrome type II. Cone responses were non-detectable in 95% of the patients with Usher's syndrome I and in 100% of patients with Usher's syndrome II. Mean amplitude for 30 Hz flicker photopic cone response was 3.1 µV±4.1 for Usher's syndrome type I and 1.0 µV±0.6 for type II with mean implicit time of 34.0 ms±6.2 (US I and 35.8 ms±3.1 (type II. CONCLUSIONS: Visual acuity was relatively preserved in both groups, however Usher's syndrome II group showed better visual acuity results. Electroretinography findings were severely reduced in both groups, with most patients showing non-detectable rod and cone responses.

  4. [Evaluation of visual acuity in a historical cohort of 137 patients treated for amblyopia by occlusion 30-35 years ago].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonsz-Tóth, B; Loudon, S E; van Kempen-du Saar, H; van de Graaf, E S; Groenewoud, J H; Simonsz, H J

    2007-01-01

    Opinions differ on the course of the visual acuity in the amblyopic eye after cessation of occlusion therapy. This study evaluated visual acuity in a historical cohort treated for amblyopia with occlusion therapy 30-35 years ago. Between 1968 and 1975, 1250 patients had been treated by the orthoptist in the Waterland Hospital in Purmerend, The Netherlands. Of these, 471 received occlusion treatment for amblyopia (prevalence 5.0%, after comparison with the local birth rate). We were able to contact 203 of these patients, 137 were orthoptically re-examined in 2003. We correlated the current visual acuity with the cause of amblyopia, the age at start and end of treatment, the visual acuity at start and end of treatment, fixation, binocular vision and refractive errors. Mean age at the start of treatment was 5.4 +/- 1.9 years, 7.4 +/- 1.7 years at the end and 37 +/- 2.7 years at follow-up. Current visual acuity in the amblyopic eye was correlated with a low visual acuity at the start (p occlusion therapy, an eccentric fixation (p amblyopia (p = 0.005). At the end of the treatment, patients with a strabismic amblyopia (n = 98) had a visual acuity in the amblyopic eye of 0.29 logMAR +/- 0.3, and in 2003 0.27 +/- 0.3 logMAR. In patients with an anisometropic amblyopia (> 1 D, n = 16) visual acuity had decreased from 0.17 +/- 0.23 logMAR to 0.21 logMAR +/- 0.23. In patients with both strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia (n = 23), visual acuity had decreased from 0.52 logMAR +/- 0.54 to 0.65 logMAR +/- 0.54. Overall, acuity had decreased in 54 patients (39%) after cessation of treatment. Of these, 18 patients had an acuity decrease to less than 50% of their acuity at the end of treatment. In 15 of these 18 patients anisohypermetropia had increased. A decrease in visual acuity after cessation of occlusion therapy occurred in patients with a combined cause of amblyopia or with an increase in anisohypermetropia.

  5. Visual acuity loss associated with excessive “dry macula” in exudative age-related macular degeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takahashi H

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Hidenori Takahashi,1–3 Yuji Inoue,1,2 Xue Tan,2,3 Satoru Inoda,1 Shinichi Sakamoto,1 Yusuke Arai,1 Yasuo Yanagi,4–6 Yujiro Fujino,2,3 Hidetoshi Kawashima1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, 2Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, 3Department of Ophthalmology, Japan Community Health Care Organization Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, Shinjuku, Japan; 4Medical Retina, Singapore National Eye Centre, 5Medical Retina, Singapore Eye Research Institute, 6Eye-ACP, Duke NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore Purpose: To investigate the correlation between visual acuity and central macular thickness (CMT and choroidal thickness (CCT in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, 14 eyes that received >10 ranibizumab injections (based on pro re nata [PRN] regimen and maintained initial visual acuity gain were analyzed. The following 5 parameters were measured at the foveal center: CMT (distance from the inner limiting membrane [ILM] to Bruch’s membrane; central retinal thickness (CRT; distance from the ILM to the inner limit of the retinal pigment epithelium or subretinal fluid [SRF]; SRF thickness (SRFT; pigment epithelium detachment thickness (PEDT; and CCT. The correlation between the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA and the 5 parameters was examined with generalized estimating equations. Results: CMT, CRT, and CCT were negatively correlated with logMAR BCVA (P=0.031, 0.023, and 0.036, respectively when only CMT values less than the thickness that maximized visual acuity for each eye were used for the analysis. Each 100-µm reduction in CMT, CRT, or CCT improved logMAR BCVA by -0.1, -0.08, or -0.07, respectively. SRFT and PEDT were not correlated with BCVA. The median CMT that maximized the visual acuity was 230 µm. Conclusion: Dry macula with CMT <230 µm was

  6. Tactile acuity is disrupted in osteoarthritis but is unrelated to disruptions in motor imagery performance.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stanton, T.R.; Lin, C.W.; Bray, H.; Smeets, R.J.P.; Taylor, D.; Law, R.Y.; Moseley, G.L.

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To determine whether tactile acuity is disrupted in people with knee OA and to determine whether tactile acuity, a clinical signature of primary sensory cortex representation, is related to motor imagery performance (MIP; evaluates working body schema) and pain. METHODS: Experiment 1:

  7. A comparison of static near stereo acuity in youth baseball/softball players and non-ball players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boden, Lauren M; Rosengren, Kenneth J; Martin, Daniel F; Boden, Scott D

    2009-03-01

    Although many aspects of vision have been investigated in professional baseball players, few studies have been performed in developing athletes. The issue of whether youth baseball players have superior stereopsis to nonplayers has not been addressed specifically. The purpose of this study was to determine if youth baseball/softball players have better stereo acuity than non-ball players. Informed consent was obtained from 51 baseball/softball players and 52 non-ball players (ages 10 to 18 years). Subjects completed a questionnaire, and their static near stereo acuity was measured using the Randot Stereotest (Stereo Optical Company, Chicago, Illinois). Stereo acuity was measured as the seconds of arc between the last pair of images correctly distinguished by the subject. The mean stereo acuity score was 25.5 +/- 1.7 seconds of arc in the baseball/softball players and 56.2 +/- 8.4 seconds of arc in the non-ball players. This difference was statistically significant (P softball players had significantly better static stereo acuity than non-ball players, comparable to professional ball players.

  8. Prevalence of high astigmatism, eyeglass wear, and poor visual acuity among Native American grade school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, Erin M; Dobson, Velma; Miller, Joseph M

    2006-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of astigmatism and poor visual acuity and rate of eyeglass wear in grade school children who are members of a Native American tribe reported to have a high prevalence of large amounts of astigmatism. Vision screening was conducted on 1,327 first through eighth grade children attending school on the Tohono O'odham Reservation. Noncycloplegic autorefraction was conducted on the right and left eye of each child using the Nikon Retinomax K+ autorefractor, and monocular recognition acuity was tested using ETDRS logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) letter charts. Tohono O'odham children had a high prevalence of high astigmatism (42% had > or = 1.00 D in the right or left eye) and the axis of astigmatism was uniformly with-the-rule. However, only a small percentage of children arrived at the vision screening wearing glasses, and the prevalence of poor visual acuity (20/40 or worse in either eye) was high (35%). There was a significant relation between amount of astigmatism and uncorrected visual acuity with each additional diopter of astigmatism resulting in an additional 1 logMAR line reduction in visual acuity. Uncorrected astigmatism and poor visual acuity are prevalent among Tohono O'odham children. The results highlight the importance of improving glasses-wearing compliance, determining barriers to receiving eye care, and initiating public education programs regarding the importance of early identification and correction of astigmatism in Tohono O'odham children.

  9. Spatial-frequency dependent binocular imbalance in amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, MiYoung; Wiecek, Emily; Dakin, Steven C; Bex, Peter J

    2015-11-25

    While amblyopia involves both binocular imbalance and deficits in processing high spatial frequency information, little is known about the spatial-frequency dependence of binocular imbalance. Here we examined binocular imbalance as a function of spatial frequency in amblyopia using a novel computer-based method. Binocular imbalance at four spatial frequencies was measured with a novel dichoptic letter chart in individuals with amblyopia, or normal vision. Our dichoptic letter chart was composed of band-pass filtered letters arranged in a layout similar to the ETDRS acuity chart. A different chart was presented to each eye of the observer via stereo-shutter glasses. The relative contrast of the corresponding letter in each eye was adjusted by a computer staircase to determine a binocular Balance Point at which the observer reports the letter presented to either eye with equal probability. Amblyopes showed pronounced binocular imbalance across all spatial frequencies, with greater imbalance at high compared to low spatial frequencies (an average increase of 19%, p imbalance may be useful for diagnosing amblyopia and as an outcome measure for recovery of binocular vision following therapy.

  10. Correlation Between Near-Vision Acuity and the Incidence of Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kojima, Shigeki; Sakurada, Tsutomu; Koitabashi, Kenichiro; Kojima, Kaori; Watanabe, Shiika; Uchida, Daisuke; Kaneshiro, Nagayuki; Konno, Yusuke; Shibagaki, Yugo

    Peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related infections (PDIs) such as peritonitis, exit-site infection, and tunnel infection are serious complications affecting patients on PD. Because patients with diabetes (DM) and of older age have increased in number in Japan, the number of patients with visual impairment is estimated also to have increased. Near vision is necessary for performing proper PD daily care. However, no studies have reported whether visual impairment is likely to increase the risk of PDIs.Our study included 31 PD patients (16 men, 15 women; mean age: 61.5 ± 11.8 years; mean PD duration: 27.3 ± 20.3 months; 38.7% with DM; 54.8% wearing glasses) who performed their own PD care. At our facility and related facilities, we used a standard near-vision test chart, which classifies vision into 12 grades, from 0.1 (poor) to 1.5 (clear), to assess near-vision binocular visual acuity in those patients between March 2015 and September 2015. In addition, we retrospectively examined the medical records of the patients to determine their history of PDIs. We then evaluated the correlation between near-vision acuity and the incidence of PDIs.Mean measured near-vision acuity was 0.61 ± 0.29, and we observed no significant difference in the visual acuity of patients with and without DM (0.55 ± 0.31 vs. 0.63 ± 0.26 respectively, p = 0.477). In addition, we observed no significant difference in the incidence of PDIs between patients with and without DM (1.298 ± 1.609 per year vs. 1.164 ± 0.908 per year respectively, p = 0.804). We did not find a correlation between near-vision acuity and the incidence of PDIs (r = -0.071, p = 0.795).

  11. A new specialized visual acuity chart for amblyopic children aged 3-5 years old:development and its clinical applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang-Qing Huang

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To introduce a new specialized visual acuity chart for amblyopic children aged 3-5 years old and its clinical applications.METHODS:The new visual acuity chart and notations were designed based on Weber-Fechner law. The optotypes were red against a white background and were specially shaped four basic geometric symbols:circle, square, triangle,and cross. A regular geometric progression of the optotype sizes and distribution was employed to arrange in 14 lines. The progression rate of the optotype size between two lines was 1.2589 and the testing distance was 3m. Visual acuity score could be recorded as logMAR notation or decimal notation. Age-stratified diagnostic criteria for amblyopia established by consensus statement on diagnosis of amblyopia (2011 among members of the Strabismus and Pediatric Ophthalmology Group, Ophthalmology Society, Chinese Medical Association (SPOGOSCMA were illustrated in the new visual acuity chart.RESULTS: When assessing visual acuity in children aged 3-5 years old, this new visual acuity chart that consists of four symmetrical shapes (triangle, square, cross, and circle overcame an inability to recognize the letters of the alphabet and difficulties in designating the direction of black abstract symbols such as the tumbling ‘E’ or Landolt ‘C’, which the subjects were prone to lose interest in. The visual acuity score may be recorded in different notations:decimal acuity and logMAR. These two notations can be easily converted each other in the new eye chart. The measurements of this new chart not only showed a significant correlation and a good consistency with the international standard logarithmic visual acuity chart (r=0.932, P<0.01, but also indicated a high test-retest reliability (89% of retest scores were within 0.1logMAR units of the initial test score.CONCLUSION: The results of this study support the validity and reliability of distance visual acuity measurements using the new eye chart in

  12. An Acuity Tool for Heart Failure Case Management: Quantifying Workload, Service Utilization, and Disease Severity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilgore, Matthew D

    The cardiology service line director at a health maintenance organization (HMO) in Washington State required a valid, reliable, and practical means for measuring workloads and other productivity factors for six heart failure (HF) registered nurse case managers located across three geographical regions. The Kilgore Heart Failure Case Management (KHFCM) Acuity Tool was systematically designed, developed, and validated to measure workload as a dependent function of the number of heart failure case management (HFCM) services rendered and the duration of times spent on various care duties. Research and development occurred at various HMO-affiliated internal medicine and cardiology offices throughout Western Washington. The concepts, methods, and principles used to develop the KHFCM Acuity Tool are applicable for any type of health care professional aiming to quantify workload using a high-quality objective tool. The content matter, scaling, and language on the KHFCM Acuity Tool are specific to HFCM settings. The content matter and numeric scales for the KHFCM Acuity Tool were developed and validated using a mixed-method participant action research method applied to a group of six outpatient HF case managers and their respective caseloads. The participant action research method was selected, because the application of this method requires research participants to become directly involved in the diagnosis of research problems, the planning and execution of actions taken to address those problems, and the implementation of progressive strategies throughout the course of the study, as necessary, to produce the most credible and practical practice improvements (; ; ; ). Heart failure case managers served clients with New York Heart Association Functional Class III-IV HF (), and encounters were conducted primarily by telephone or in-office consultation. A mix of qualitative and quantitative results demonstrated a variety of quality improvement outcomes achieved by the design

  13. Influence of Passive Joint Stiffness on Proprioceptive Acuity in Individuals With Functional Instability of the Ankle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marinho, Hellen Veloso Rocha; Amaral, Giovanna Mendes; de Souza Moreira, Bruno; Araújo, Vanessa Lara; Souza, Thales Rezende; Ocarino, Juliana Melo; da Fonseca, Sérgio Teixeira

    2017-12-01

    Study Design Controlled laboratory study, cross-sectional. Background Deficits in ankle proprioceptive acuity have been reported in persons with functional instability of the ankle. Passive stiffness has been proposed as a possible mechanism underlying proprioceptive acuity. Objective To compare proprioceptive acuity and passive ankle stiffness in persons with and without functional ankle instability, and to assess the influence of passive joint stiffness on proprioceptive acuity in persons with functional ankle instability. Methods A sample of 18 subjects with and 18 without complaints of functional ankle instability following lateral ankle sprain participated. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to compare motion perception threshold, passive position sense, and passive ankle stiffness between groups. To evaluate the influence of passive stiffness on proprioceptive acuity, individuals in the lateral functional ankle instability group were divided into 2 subgroups: "high" and "low" passive ankle stiffness. Results The functional ankle instability group exhibited increased motion perception threshold when compared with the corresponding limb of the control group. Between-group differences were not found for passive position sense and passive ankle stiffness. Those in the functional ankle instability group with higher passive ankle stiffness had smaller motion perception thresholds than those with lower passive ankle stiffness. Conclusion Unlike motion perception threshold, passive position sense is not affected by the presence of functional ankle instability. Passive ankle stiffness appears to influence proprioceptive acuity in persons with functional ankle instability. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(12):899-905. Epub 7 Oct 2017. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7030.

  14. PATTERN ELECTRORETINOGRAPHY IN RELATION TO KINETIC AND STATIC PERIMETRY AND VISUAL ACUITY IN RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA

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    Petra Popović

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Background. This study was conducted to assess whether pattern ERG is a sensitive test in evaluating the retinal function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. We wanted to determine how pattern ERG, reflecting the activity of inner retinal layers, is related to other psychophysical tests such as perimetry and visual acuity.Methods. An analysis was performed on 50 eyes of 25 patients with typical rod-cone retinitis pigmentosa. The standard Snellen visual acuity was tested. Visual field sensitivity was measured with automated static perimetry (Octopus G2 program where mean defect was taken as an index of visual field loss. In kinetic perimetry (Goldmann the average radius of the visual field measured with target II/4 and V/4 was calculated. Transient pattern ERG and all five flash ERG responses were also measured according to ISCEV standards. Amplitudes of pattern ERG P50 and N95 waves were compared to results of visual acuity and visual field testing.Results. In our group of 25 RP patients with visual acuity ranging from 0.16 to 1.0, PERG responses were preserved much better than full field ERGs. 72% of them had still recordable PERG responses, while 48% had cone and only 32% maximal responses. Scotopic rod responses were extinguished in all eyes. The normalized amplitudes of the PERG responses were also much higher (43.5% than cone (22.5% or maximal responses (4.5%. A strong correlation of both P50 and N95 amplitudes with Octopus mean defect index was found. In kinetic perimetry the correlation with PERG amplitudes was also high, but it was better with II/4 than with V/4 target. Patients with high preserved ERG responses had good visual acuity. In all patients with visual acuity less than 0.4 both flash and pattern ERG responses were already absent.Conclusions. This study shows that pattern ERG is an objective and sensitive test in evaluating the functional visual loss in retinitis pigmentosa. Amplitudes of P50 and N95 responses are linearly

  15. Femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK versus PRK for high myopia: comparison of 18-month visual acuity and quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashemi, Hassan; Ghaffari, Reza; Miraftab, Mohammad; Asgari, Soheila

    2017-08-01

    To compare 18-month outcomes between femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK (femto-LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy with mitomycin-C (PRK-MMC) for myopia of more than 7.0 D in terms of visual acuity and quality. In this comparative nonrandomized clinical trial, 60 eyes from 30 patients (30 eyes in each group) were enrolled. The two procedures were compared in terms of 18-month changes in uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction spherical equivalent, ocular and corneal higher order aberrations (HOAs), and contrast sensitivity (CS). Mean myopia was -8.65 ± 1.51 and -8.04 ± 1.70 D (P = 0.149) and mean ablation depth was 109.37 ± 9.07 and 105.09 ± 12.59 µm (P = 0.138), in the femto-LASIK and PRK-MMC groups, respectively. Baseline parameters were not significantly different between the two groups (all P > 0.05). At 18 months postoperatively, 75 % in the femto-LASIK, versus 57.1 % in the PRK-MMC group, had 20/20 UDVA (P = 0.017). CDVA remained similarly unchanged in both groups (P = 0.616). No case had residual refractive error more than 1.0 D in the femto-LASIK group, while 33.5 % in the other group had more than 1.0 D residual error (P = 0.390). Changes in corneal HOA were not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.260). Cases in the femto-LASIK group showed more increase in ocular HOA (P = 0.032) and coma (P = 0.083, power = 72 %). CS remained similarly unchanged in all spatial frequencies in both groups (all P > 0.05). Although femto-LASIK induces more HOA compared to PRK-MMC, considering outcomes in terms of 20/20 UDVA, residual refractive error, and CS stability, femto-LASIK provides more favorable results than PRK-MMC in high myopia.

  16. Color improves “visual” acuity via sound

    OpenAIRE

    Levy-Tzedek, Shelly; Riemer, Dar; Amedi, Amir

    2014-01-01

    Visual-to-auditory sensory substitution devices (SSDs) convey visual information via sound, with the primary goal of making visual information accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. We developed the EyeMusic SSD, which transforms shape, location, and color information into musical notes. We tested the “visual” acuity of 23 individuals (13 blind and 10 blindfolded sighted) on the Snellen tumbling-E test, with the EyeMusic. Participants were asked to determine the orientation of...

  17. Visual acuity after trans-scleral sutured posterior chamber intraocular lens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmood, S.A.; Zafar, S.

    2014-01-01

    To determine the changes in visual acuity in patients undergoing Trans-Scleral Sutured Posterior Chamber Intra-Ocular Lens (TSSPCIOL) implantation at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: LRBT Tertiary Eye Hospital, Karachi, from January 2006 to December 2010. Methodology: Records of all patients undergoing implantation of TSSPCIOL were reviewed. Patients with diagnosed glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, history of recurrent uveitis, corneal haze or central corneal scars were excluded. For the final analysis, 70 eyes out of a total of 75 were selected. Main outcomes of interest were pre and postoperative visual acuities and surgical complications. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. Results: Pre-operatively, the average Best Spectacle-Corrected Visual Acuity (BSCVA) was 6/36 on the Snellen chart. This improved to 6/12 postoperatively. The mean improvement seen was 2.4 lines on the Snellen chart (p < 0.05). Complications include transient intraocular pressure elevation in 25 eyes (36%), IOL tilt in 4 eyes (7.1%), Cystoid Macular Edema (CME) in 4 eyes (5.7%), vitreous haemorrhage in 2 eyes (2.9%), hyphema in 2 eyes (2.9%), uveitis in 1 eye (1.4%), and retinal detachment 1 eye (1.4%). No IOL subluxation, suture erosion, iris capture, choroidal effusion or endophthalmitis was encountered and no re-operations were needed. Conclusion: TSSPCIOLs are a good management option for patients with aphakia in whom PC IOLs cannot be placed. (author)

  18. Is theta burst stimulation applied to visual cortex able to modulate peripheral visual acuity?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabrina Brückner

    Full Text Available Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is usually applied to visual cortex to explore the effects on cortical excitability. Most researchers therefore concentrate on changes of phosphene threshold, rarely on consequences for visual performance. Thus, we investigated peripheral visual acuity in the four quadrants of the visual field using Landolt C optotypes before and after repetitive stimulation of the visual cortex. We applied continuous and intermittend theta burst stimulation with various stimulation intensities (60%, 80%, 100%, 120% of individual phosphene threshold as well as monophasic and biphasic 1 Hz stimulation, respectively. As an important result, no serious adverse effects were observed. In particular, no seizure was induced, even with theta burst stimulation applied with 120% of individual phosphene threshold. In only one case stimulation was ceased because the subject reported intolerable pain. Baseline visual acuity decreased over sessions, indicating a continuous training effect. Unexpectedly, none of the applied transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols had an effect on performance: no change in visual acuity was found in any of the four quadrants of the visual field. Binocular viewing as well as the use of peripheral instead of foveal presentation of the stimuli might have contributed to this result. Furthermore, intraindividual variability could have masked the TMS- induced effects on visual acuity.

  19. Evaluating the construct of triage acuity against a set of reference vignettes developed via modified Delphi method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twomey, Michèle; Wallis, Lee A; Myers, Jonathan E

    2014-07-01

    To evaluate the construct of triage acuity as measured by the South African Triage Scale (SATS) against a set of reference vignettes. A modified Delphi method was used to develop a set of reference vignettes. Delphi participants completed a 2-round consensus-building process, and independently assigned triage acuity ratings to 100 written vignettes unaware of the ratings given by others. Triage acuity ratings were summarised for all vignettes, and only those that reached 80% consensus during round 2 were included in the reference set. Triage ratings for the reference vignettes given by two independent experts using the SATS were compared with the ratings given by the international Delphi panel. Measures of sensitivity, specificity, associated percentages for over-triage/under-triage were used to evaluate the construct of triage acuity (as measured by the SATS) by examining the association between the ratings by the two experts and the international panel. On completion of the Delphi process, 42 of the 100 vignettes reached 80% consensus on their acuity rating and made up the reference set. On average, over all acuity levels, sensitivity was 74% (CI 64% to 82%), specificity 92% (CI 87% to 94%), under-triage occurred 14% (CI 8% to 23%) and over-triage 12% (CI 8% to 23%) of the time. The results of this study provide an alternative to evaluating triage scales against the construct of acuity as measured with the SATS. This method of using 80% consensus vignettes may, however, systematically bias the validity estimate towards better performance. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  20. A comparison of Lea Symbol vs ETDRS letter distance visual acuity in a population of young children with a high prevalence of astigmatism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobson, Velma; Clifford-Donaldson, Candice E; Miller, Joseph M; Garvey, Katherine A; Harvey, Erin M

    2009-06-01

    To compare visual acuity results obtained by use of the Lea Symbols chart with results obtained with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts in young children who are members of a population with a high prevalence of astigmatism. Subjects were 438 children ages 5 through 7 years who were enrolled in kindergarten or first grade on the Tohono O'odham Reservation: 241 (55%) had astigmatism >or=1.00 D in one or both eyes (range, 0.00-6.75 D). While wearing best correction, each child had right eye visual acuity tested with the 62 cm by 65 cm Lea Symbols chart at 3 m and with the 62 cm by 65 cm ETDRS chart at 4 m. Visual acuity was scored as the smallest optotype size at which the child correctly identified 3 of a maximum of 5 optotypes. ETDRS visual acuity also was scored based on the total number of letters that the child correctly identified. Correlation between Lea Symbols visual acuity and ETDRS visual acuity was 0.78 (p < 0.001). Mean Lea Symbols visual acuity was one-half line (0.04-0.06 logMAR) better than mean ETDRS visual acuity (p < 0.001). The difference between Lea Symbols and ETDRS visual acuity was not correlated with the mean of the Lea Symbols and ETDRS visual acuity scores, which ranged from -0.3 logMAR (20/10) to 0.74 logMAR (20/110). In this population of young children, in whom the primary source of reduced visual acuity is astigmatism-related amblyopia, the Lea Symbols chart produced visual acuity scores that were about 0.5 line better than visual acuity scores obtained with ETDRS charts.

  1. [Amblyopia: reading speed in comparison with visual acuity for gratings, single Landolt Cs and series Landolt Cs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bach, M; Strahl, P; Waltenspiel, S; Kommerell, G

    1990-01-01

    In the treatment of amblyopia in preschool children, a means of predicting later reading ability would be helpful. This prediction might be possible using a test for visual acuity where the results correlate with reading ability in adult patients with amblyopia. We measured the following four parameters in 18 experienced readers with strabismic amblyopia: (1) time spent reading ten lines of a standard text in one of three magnifications, (2) visual acuity for gratings, (3) visual acuity for single Landolt Cs, and (4) visual acuity for crowded Landolt Cs (one Landolt C flanked by two full rings on each side each at a distance of 2.6 min of arc). The reading text was presented on paper at a distance of 40 cm; the subject had a choice of three magnifications. The acuity tests were generated by a computer on a VDU at 4.6 m. The relative impairment of the amblyopic eye was defined as the quotient between the performance of the amblyopic and the good eye. In addition, the difference between the times spent reading the ten lines with the amblyopic and with the good eye was calculated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  2. Recognition versus Resolution: a Comparison of Visual Acuity Results Using Two Alternative Test Chart Optotype

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan S. Pointer

    2008-01-01

    Conclusions: For normally sighted subjects wearing an optimal refractive correction, a bias was recorded in favour of recognition over resolution acuity: the clinical difference amounted to approximately 40% of one logMAR chart line, with similar high repeatability for either chart optotype. We conclude that the assumption of clinical equivalence between letter and Landolt acuity is reasonable under optimum test conditions.

  3. Evaluation of a Public Child Eye Health Tertiary Facility for Pediatric Cataract in Southern Nigeria I: Visual Acuity Outcome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duke, Roseline E.; Adio, Adedayo; Oparah, Sidney K.; Odey, Friday; Eyo, Okon A.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: A retrospective study of the outcome of congenital and developmental cataract surgery was conducted in a public child eye health tertiary facility in children <16 years of age in Southern Nigeria, as part of an evaluation. Materials and Method: Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery with or without anterior vitrectomy was performed. The outcome measures were visual acuity (VA) and change (gain) in visual acuity. The age of the child at onset, duration of delay in presentation, ocular co-morbidity, non ocular co-morbidity, gender, and pre operative visual acuity were matched with postoperative visual acuity. A total of 66 children were studied for a period of six weeks following surgery. Results: Forty eight (72.7%) children had bilateral congenital cataracts and 18 (27.3%) children had bilateral developmental cataracts. There were 38(57.6%) males and 28 (42.4%) females in the study. Thirty Five (53%) children had good visual outcome (normal vision range 6/6/ -6/18) post-operatively. The number of children with blindness (vision <3/60) decreased from 61 (92.4%) pre-operatively to 4 (6.1%) post-operatively. Post operative complication occurred in 6.8% of cases six week after surgery. Delayed presentation had an inverse relationship with change (gain) in visual acuity (r = - 0.342; p-value = 0.005). Pre-operative visual acuity had a positive relationship with post operative change (gain) in visual acuity (r = 0.618; p-value = 0.000). Conclusion: Predictors of change in visual acuity in our study were; delayed presentation and pre-operative VA. Cataract surgery in children showed clinical benefit. PMID:27347247

  4. LASER PHOTOCOAGULATION IN DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA: EFFECTS ON VISUAL ACUITY AND MACULAR EDEMA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.H. Dehghan

    1999-06-01

    Full Text Available Due to the importance of clinically significant macular edema in diabetic patients, this study is aimed to determine if laser photocoagulation is effective in the treatment of clinically significant diabetic macular edema. In addition, the effects of risk factors arc surveyed* This is an existing data study considering patients with clinically significant diabetic macular edema, treated with argon-green laser photocoagulation in Labbafinejad hospital, department of lasertherapy, from 1995 to 1997. in 60 (42.6% eyes the treatment method was focal, in 22 (15.6% eyes grid, and in 59 (41.84 modified grid laser photocoagulation was performed. The results are based upon deterioration of visual acuity, occurance of moderate visual loss and improvement or persistence of CSME. We studied 114 eyes from 87 patients. Two years after initial treatment, visual acuity improved in 19.1% of eyes, unchanged in 9.5% and worsened in 71.4% of eyes. After this period the rate of moderate visual loss was 28.6% and CSME was improved in 23.8% of eyes. According to our study, baseline visual acuity and retinopathy severity were two important intervening factors in response to lasertherapy. Comparing our results with natural course of diabetic macular edema, indicates that in assessing visual outcome laser photocoagulation is an effective modality in treatment of CSME, but it is not effective in maintaining or improving visual acuity, which is due to patients delay in visiting ophthalmologists and paying not enough attention to follow-up visits.

  5. Visual acuity testing of radiographic inspectors in nondestructive inspection. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yonemura, G.T.

    1981-06-01

    Visual acuity tests for radiographic inspectors should be correlated with the type of tasks encountered in real world radiography. The testing procedures should be capable of assessing differences in day to day performance of a given inspector as well as the performance of one inspector relative to other inspectors. Single line targets with specific parametric values for contrast, width, and blur are recommended to provide a means for testing a radiographic inspector for visual acuity. These targets may be used for periodic tests by the employing organization or for more frequent self testing by the inspector. Statistics from the National Health Survey, procedures recommended by the NAS-NRC Committee on Vision and real world radiographs have been utilized in arriving at recommended test configurations

  6. Visual Acuity is Related to Parafoveal Retinal Thickness in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa and Macular Cysts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brockhurst, Robert J.; Gaudio, Alexander R.; Berson, Eliot L.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose To quantify the prevalence and effect on visual acuity of macular cysts in a large cohort of patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Methods In 316 patients with typical forms of retinitis pigmentosa, we measured visual acuities with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts, detected macular cysts with optical coherence tomography (OCT), and quantified retinal thicknesses by OCT. We used the FREQ, LOGISTIC, and GENMOD procedures of SAS to evaluate possible risk factors for cyst prevalence and the MIXED procedure to quantify the relationships of visual acuity to retinal thickness measured at different locations within the macula. Results We found macular cysts in 28% of the patients, 40% of whom had cysts in only one eye. Macular cysts were seen most often in patients with dominant disease and not at all in patients with X-linked disease (p = 0.006). In eyes with macular cysts, multiple regression analysis revealed that visual acuity was inversely and independently related to retinal thickness at the foveal center (p = 0.038) and within a ring spanning an eccentricity of 5° to 10° from the foveal center (p = 0.004). Conclusions Macular cysts are a common occurrence in retinitis pigmentosa, especially among patients with dominantly-inherited disease. Visual acuity is influenced by edema in the parafovea, as well as in the fovea. PMID:18552390

  7. Relative contributions of visual and auditory spatial representations to tactile localization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noel, Jean-Paul; Wallace, Mark

    2016-02-01

    Spatial localization of touch is critically dependent upon coordinate transformation between different reference frames, which must ultimately allow for alignment between somatotopic and external representations of space. Although prior work has shown an important role for cues such as body posture in influencing the spatial localization of touch, the relative contributions of the different sensory systems to this process are unknown. In the current study, we had participants perform a tactile temporal order judgment (TOJ) under different body postures and conditions of sensory deprivation. Specifically, participants performed non-speeded judgments about the order of two tactile stimuli presented in rapid succession on their ankles during conditions in which their legs were either uncrossed or crossed (and thus bringing somatotopic and external reference frames into conflict). These judgments were made in the absence of 1) visual, 2) auditory, or 3) combined audio-visual spatial information by blindfolding and/or placing participants in an anechoic chamber. As expected, results revealed that tactile temporal acuity was poorer under crossed than uncrossed leg postures. Intriguingly, results also revealed that auditory and audio-visual deprivation exacerbated the difference in tactile temporal acuity between uncrossed to crossed leg postures, an effect not seen for visual-only deprivation. Furthermore, the effects under combined audio-visual deprivation were greater than those seen for auditory deprivation. Collectively, these results indicate that mechanisms governing the alignment between somatotopic and external reference frames extend beyond those imposed by body posture to include spatial features conveyed by the auditory and visual modalities - with a heavier weighting of auditory than visual spatial information. Thus, sensory modalities conveying exteroceptive spatial information contribute to judgments regarding the localization of touch. Copyright © 2016

  8. Association between individual differences in non-symbolic number acuity and math performance: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qixuan; Li, Jingguang

    2014-05-01

    Many recent studies have examined the association between number acuity, which is the ability to rapidly and non-symbolically estimate the quantity of items appearing in a scene, and symbolic math performance. However, various contradictory results have been reported. To comprehensively evaluate the association between number acuity and symbolic math performance, we conduct a meta-analysis to synthesize the results observed in previous studies. First, a meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies (36 samples, N = 4705) revealed a significant positive correlation between these skills (r = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.14, 0.26]); the association remained after considering other potential moderators (e.g., whether general cognitive abilities were controlled). Moreover, a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies revealed 1) that number acuity may prospectively predict later math performance (r = 0.24, 95% CI = [0.11, 0.37]; 6 samples) and 2) that number acuity is retrospectively correlated to early math performance as well (r = 0.17, 95% CI = [0.07, 0.26]; 5 samples). In summary, these pieces of evidence demonstrate a moderate but statistically significant association between number acuity and math performance. Based on the estimated effect sizes, power analyses were conducted, which suggested that many previous studies were underpowered due to small sample sizes. This may account for the disparity between findings in the literature, at least in part. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of our meta-analytic findings are presented, and future research questions are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Socio-Demographic Factors Associated With Loss Of Visual Acuity ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The study was designed to identify the sociodemographic factors, which significantly affect the visual acuity of glaucoma patients at presentation. It is a prospective study of 154 new patients with a diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma seen over 1 year and 8 months at the eye clinic of the University of Benin Teaching ...

  10. A new dynamic visual acuity test to assess peripheral vestibular function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vital, Domenic; Hegemann, Stefan C A; Straumann, Dominik; Bergamin, Oliver; Bockisch, Christopher J; Angehrn, Dominik; Schmitt, Kai-Uwe; Probst, Rudolf

    2010-07-01

    To evaluate a novel test for dynamic visual acuity (DVA) that uses an adaptive algorithm for changing the size of Landolt rings presented during active or passive head impulses, and to compare the results with search-coil head impulse testing. Prospective study in healthy individuals and patients with peripheral vestibular deficits. Tertiary academic center. One hundred neuro-otologically healthy individuals (age range, 19-80 years) and 15 patients with bilateral (n = 5) or unilateral (n = 10) peripheral vestibular loss (age range, 27-72 years). Testing of static visual acuity (SVA), DVA during active and passive horizontal head rotations (optotype presentation at head velocities >100 degrees/s and >150 degrees/s), and quantitative horizontal head impulse testing with scleral search coils. Difference between SVA and DVA, that is, visual acuity loss (VA loss), gain of the high-acceleration vestibulo-ocular reflex. Passive head impulses and higher velocities were more effective than active impulses and lower velocities. Using passive head impulses and velocities higher than 150 degrees/s, the DVA test discriminated significantly (P test sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 94%, and accuracy was 95%, with search-coil head impulse testing used as a reference. In healthy individuals, VA loss increased significantly with age (P testing with Landolt rings that are adaptively changed in size enables detection of peripheral vestibular dysfunction in a fast and simple way.

  11. The Impact of Early Visual Deprivation on Spatial Hearing: A Comparison between Totally and Partially Visually Deprived Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cappagli, Giulia; Finocchietti, Sara; Cocchi, Elena; Gori, Monica

    2017-01-01

    The specific role of early visual deprivation on spatial hearing is still unclear, mainly due to the difficulty of comparing similar spatial skills at different ages and to the difficulty in recruiting young blind children from birth. In this study, the effects of early visual deprivation on the development of auditory spatial localization have been assessed in a group of seven 3–5 years old children with congenital blindness (n = 2; light perception or no perception of light) or low vision (n = 5; visual acuity range 1.1–1.7 LogMAR), with the main aim to understand if visual experience is fundamental to the development of specific spatial skills. Our study led to three main findings: firstly, totally blind children performed overall more poorly compared sighted and low vision children in all the spatial tasks performed; secondly, low vision children performed equally or better than sighted children in the same auditory spatial tasks; thirdly, higher residual levels of visual acuity are positively correlated with better spatial performance in the dynamic condition of the auditory localization task indicating that the more residual vision the better spatial performance. These results suggest that early visual experience has an important role in the development of spatial cognition, even when the visual input during the critical period of visual calibration is partially degraded like in the case of low vision children. Overall these results shed light on the importance of early assessment of spatial impairments in visually impaired children and early intervention to prevent the risk of isolation and social exclusion. PMID:28443040

  12. The influence of tongue strength on oral viscosity discrimination acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steele, Catriona M

    2018-06-01

    The ability to generate tongue pressures is widely considered to be critical for liquid bolus propulsion in swallowing. It has been proposed that the application of tongue pressure may also serve the function of collecting sensory information regarding bolus viscosity (resistance to flow). In this study, we explored the impact of age-related reductions in tongue strength on oral viscosity discrimination acuity. The experiment employed a triangle test discrimination protocol with an array of xanthan-gum thickened liquids in the mildly to moderately thick consistency range. A sample of 346 healthy volunteers was recruited, with age ranging from 12 to 86 (164 men, 182 women). On average, participants were able to detect a 0.29-fold increase in xanthan-gum concentration, corresponding to a 0.5-fold increase in viscosity at 50/s. Despite having significantly reduced tongue strength on maximum isometric tongue-palate pressure tasks, and regardless of sex, older participants in this study showed no reductions in viscosity discrimination acuity. In this article, the relationship between tongue strength and the ability to discriminate small differences in liquid viscosity during oral processing is explored. Given that tongue strength declines with age in healthy adults and is also reduced in individuals with dysphagia, it is interesting to determine whether reduced tongue strength might contribute to difficulties in evaluating liquid viscosity during the oral stage of swallowing. Using an array of mildly to moderately thick xanthan-gum thickened liquids, this experiment failed to find any evidence that reductions in tongue strength influence oral viscosity discrimination acuity. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Diagnosing cerebral visual impairment in children with good visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Genderen, Maria; Dekker, Marjoke; Pilon, Florine; Bals, Irmgard

    2012-06-01

    To identify elements that could facilitate the diagnosis of cerebral visual impairment (CVI) in children with good visual acuity in the general ophthalmic clinic. We retrospectively investigated the clinical characteristics of 30 children with good visual acuity and CVI and compared them with those of 23 children who were referred with a suspicion of CVI, but proved to have a different diagnosis. Clinical characteristics included medical history, MRI findings, visual acuity, crowding ratio (CR), visual field assessment, and the results of ophthalmologic and orthoptic examination. We also evaluated the additional value of a short CVI questionnaire. Eighty-three percent of the children with an abnormal medical history (mainly prematurity and perinatal hypoxia) had CVI, in contrast with none of the children with a normal medical history. Cerebral palsy, visual field defects, and partial optic atrophy only occurred in the CVI group. 41% of the children with CVI had a CR ≥2.0, which may be related to dorsal stream dysfunction. All children with CVI, but also 91% of the children without CVI gave ≥3 affirmative answers on the CVI questionnaire. An abnormal pre- or perinatal medical history is the most important risk factor for CVI in children, and therefore in deciding which children should be referred for further multidisciplinary assessment. Additional symptoms of cerebral damage, i.e., cerebral palsy, visual field defects, partial optic atrophy, and a CR ≥2 may support the diagnosis. CVI questionnaires should not be used for screening purposes as they yield too many false positives.

  14. A comparison of behavioural (Landolt C) and anatomical estimates of visual acuity in archerfish (Toxotes chatareus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Temple, S E; Manietta, D; Collin, S P

    2013-05-03

    Archerfish forage by shooting jets of water at insects above the water's surface. The challenge of detecting small prey items against a complex background suggests that they have good visual acuity, but to date this has never been tested, despite archerfish becoming an increasingly important model species for vertebrate vision. We used a modified Landolt C test to measure visual acuity behaviourally, and compared the results to their predicted minimum separable angle based on both photoreceptor and ganglion cell spacing in the retina. Both measures yielded similar estimates of visual acuity; between 3.23 and 3.57 cycles per degree (0.155-0.140° of visual arc). Such a close match between behavioural and anatomical estimates of visual acuity in fishes is unusual and may be due to our use of an ecologically relevant task that measured the resolving power of the part of the retina that has the highest photoreceptor density and that is used in aligning their spitting angle with potential targets. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Brightness, hue, and saturation in photopic vision: a result of luminance and wavelength in the cellular phase-grating optical 3D chip of the inverted retina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauinger, Norbert

    1994-10-01

    In photopic vision, two physical variables (luminance and wavelength) are transformed into three psychological variables (brightness, hue, and saturation). Following on from 3D grating optical explanations of aperture effects (Stiles-Crawford effects SCE I and II), all three variables can be explained via a single 3D chip effect. The 3D grating optical calculations are carried out using the classical von Laue equation and demonstrated using the example of two experimentally confirmed observations in human vision: saturation effects for monochromatic test lights between 485 and 510 nm in the SCE II and the fact that many test lights reverse their hue shift in the SCE II when changing from moderate to high luminances compared with that on changing from low to medium luminances. At the same time, information is obtained on the transition from the trichromatic color system in the retina to the opponent color system.

  16. Visual acuity and visual skills in Malaysian children with learning disabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muzaliha MN

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Mohd-Nor Muzaliha,1 Buang Nurhamiza,1 Adil Hussein,1 Abdul-Rani Norabibas,1 Jaafar Mohd-Hisham-Basrun,1 Abdullah Sarimah,2 Seo-Wei Leo,3 Ismail Shatriah11Department of Ophthalmology, 2Biostatistics and Research Methodology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia; 3Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, SingaporeBackground: There is limited data in the literature concerning the visual status and skills in children with learning disabilities, particularly within the Asian population. This study is aimed to determine visual acuity and visual skills in children with learning disabilities in primary schools within the suburban Kota Bharu district in Malaysia.Methods: We examined 1010 children with learning disabilities aged between 8–12 years from 40 primary schools in the Kota Bharu district, Malaysia from January 2009 to March 2010. These children were identified based on their performance in a screening test known as the Early Intervention Class for Reading and Writing Screening Test conducted by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. Complete ocular examinations and visual skills assessment included near point of convergence, amplitude of accommodation, accommodative facility, convergence break and recovery, divergence break and recovery, and developmental eye movement tests for all subjects.Results: A total of 4.8% of students had visual acuity worse than 6/12 (20/40, 14.0% had convergence insufficiency, 28.3% displayed poor accommodative amplitude, and 26.0% showed signs of accommodative infacility. A total of 12.1% of the students had poor convergence break, 45.7% displayed poor convergence recovery, 37.4% showed poor divergence break, and 66.3% were noted to have poor divergence recovery. The mean horizontal developmental eye movement was significantly prolonged.Conclusion: Although their visual acuity was satisfactory, nearly 30% of the

  17. Comparing performance on the MNREAD iPad application with the MNREAD acuity chart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calabrèse, Aurélie; To, Long; He, Yingchen; Berkholtz, Elizabeth; Rafian, Paymon; Legge, Gordon E

    2018-01-01

    Our purpose was to compare reading performance measured with the MNREAD Acuity Chart and an iPad application (app) version of the same test for both normally sighted and low-vision participants. Our methods included 165 participants with normal vision and 43 participants with low vision tested on the standard printed MNREAD and on the iPad app version of the test. Maximum Reading Speed, Critical Print Size, Reading Acuity, and Reading Accessibility Index were compared using linear mixed-effects models to identify any potential differences in test performance between the printed chart and the iPad app. Our results showed the following: For normal vision, chart and iPad yield similar estimates of Critical Print Size and Reading Acuity. The iPad provides significantly slower estimates of Maximum Reading Speed than the chart, with a greater difference for faster readers. The difference was on average 3% at 100 words per minute (wpm), 6% at 150 wpm, 9% at 200 wpm, and 12% at 250 wpm. For low vision, Maximum Reading Speed, Reading Accessibility Index, and Critical Print Size are equivalent on the iPad and chart. Only the Reading Acuity is significantly smaller (I. E., better) when measured on the digital version of the test, but by only 0.03 logMAR (p = 0.013). Our conclusions were that, overall, MNREAD parameters measured with the printed chart and the iPad app are very similar. The difference found in Maximum Reading Speed for the normally sighted participants can be explained by differences in the method for timing the reading trials.

  18. The Impact of Supplemental Antioxidants on Visual Function in Nonadvanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Head-to-Head Randomized Clinical Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akuffo, Kwadwo Owusu; Beatty, Stephen; Peto, Tunde; Stack, Jim; Stringham, Jim; Kelly, David; Leung, Irene; Corcoran, Laura; Nolan, John M

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of supplemental macular carotenoids (including versus not including meso-zeaxanthin) in combination with coantioxidants on visual function in patients with nonadvanced age-related macular degeneration. In this study, 121 participants were randomly assigned to group 1 (Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 formulation with a low dose [25 mg] of zinc and an addition of 10 mg meso-zeaxanthin; n = 60) or group 2 (Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 formulation with a low dose [25 mg] of zinc; n = 61). Visual function was assessed using best-corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity (CS), glare disability, retinal straylight, photostress recovery time, reading performance, and the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25. Macular pigment was measured using customized heterochromatic flicker photometry. There was a statistically significant improvement in the primary outcome measure (letter CS at 6 cycles per degree [6 cpd]) over time (P = 0.013), and this observed improvement was statistically comparable between interventions (P = 0.881). Statistically significant improvements in several secondary outcome visual function measures (letter CS at 1.2 and 2.4 cpd; mesopic and photopic CS at all spatial frequencies; mesopic glare disability at 1.5, 3, and 6 cpd; photopic glare disability at 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 cpd; photostress recovery time; retinal straylight; mean and maximum reading speed) were also observed over time (P 0.05, for all). Statistically significant increases in macular pigment at all eccentricities were observed over time (P 0.05). Antioxidant supplementation in patients with nonadvanced age-related macular degeneration results in significant increases in macular pigment and improvements in CS and other measures of visual function. (Clinical trial, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN13894787).

  19. Global-local visual biases correspond with visual-spatial orientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basso, Michael R; Lowery, Natasha

    2004-02-01

    Within the past decade, numerous investigations have demonstrated reliable associations of global-local visual processing biases with right and left hemisphere function, respectively (cf. Van Kleeck, 1989). Yet the relevance of these biases to other cognitive functions is not well understood. Towards this end, the present research examined the relationship between global-local visual biases and perception of visual-spatial orientation. Twenty-six women and 23 men completed a global-local judgment task (Kimchi and Palmer, 1982) and the Judgment of Line Orientation Test (JLO; Benton, Sivan, Hamsher, Varney, and Spreen, 1994), a measure of visual-spatial orientation. As expected, men had better performance on JLO. Extending previous findings, global biases were related to better visual-spatial acuity on JLO. The findings suggest that global-local biases and visual-spatial orientation may share underlying cerebral mechanisms. Implications of these findings for other visually mediated cognitive outcomes are discussed.

  20. The correlation between variation of visual acuity and the anterior chamber depth in the early period after phacoemulsification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kai-jian CHEN

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective To investigate the correlation between the visual acuity variation and the anterior chamber depth in the early period after phacoemulsification.Methods Thirty-six eyes of 32 patients with age-related cataract underwent 3.2mm clear corneal incision phacoemulsification and intraocular lens(IOL implantation.The visual acuity was examined and horizontal curvature(K1,vertical curvature(K2,corneal astigmatism,and anterior chamber depth were measured with IOL-master preoperatively and also on 1,3,7 and 15 postoperative days.The changes in parameters were compared,and the correlations among visual acuity,corneal astigmatism and anterior chamber depth were analyzed.Results Before operation and 1d,3d,7d and 15d after operation,the corneal astigmatism was-0.87±0.40D,-1.92±1.38D,-1.69±1.13D,-1.45±0.79D and-1.36±0.74D;the anterior chamber depth was 3.08±0.35mm,4.04±0.38mm,4.28±0.29mm,4.22±0.17mm and 4.22±0.16mm;the visual acuity was 0.18±0.10,0.44±0.14,0.59±0.12,0.61±0.11 and 0.62±0.14.Significant difference was found between pre-operative and postoperative visual acuity,corneal astigmatism and anterior chamber depth,and it was also found in corneal astigmatism between 1d and 15d post operation(P < 0.05,as well as in anterior chamber depth and visual acuity between 1d and 3d post operation(P < 0.05.A positive correlation was found between visual acuity and corneal astigmatism on 1d(r=0.42,P < 0.05,3d(r=0.35,P < 0.05 and 7d(r=0.35,P < 0.05 post operation;and a negative correlation was found between visual acuity and anterior chamber depth on 3d(r=-0.29,P < 0.05,7d(r=-0.43,P < 0.01 and 15d(r=-0.37,P < 0.05 post operation.Conclusion Both the corneal astigmatism and the anterior chamber depth are correlated with the visual acuity variation in the early period after phacoemulsification.

  1. Effect of pupil size on visual acuity in a laboratory model of pseudophakic monovision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawamorita, Takushi; Uozato, Hiroshi; Handa, Tomoya; Ito, Misae; Shimizu, Kimiya

    2010-05-01

    To investigate the effect of pupil size on visual acuity in pseudophakic monovision. For the simulation, a modified Liou-Brennan model eye was used. The model eye was designed to include a centered optical system, corneal asphericity, an iris pupil, a Stiles-Crawford effect, an intraocular lens, and chromatic aberration. Calculation of the modulation transfer function (MTF) was performed with ZEMAX software. Visual acuity was estimated from the MTF and the retinal threshold curve. The sizes of the entrance pupil were 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 4.0 mm. Decreasing pupil diameter and increasing myopia progressively improved near visual acuity. For an entrance pupil size of 2.5 mm and a refractive error of -1.50 diopters, the logMAR value (Snellen; metric) in the non-dominant eye at 40 cm was 0.06 (20/23; 6/6.9). Knowledge of the patient's pupil diameter at near fixation can assist surgeons in determining the optimum degree of myopia for successful monovision.

  2. Posterior staphyloma in oculocutaneous albinism: another possible cause of reduced visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Susan; Schimmenti, Lisa A; King, Richard A; Brilliant, Murray; Anderson, Jennifer L; Schoonveld, Cheri; Summers, C Gail

    2015-12-01

    Posterior staphyloma is typically associated with myopic degeneration and has not been recognized as a cause of reduced visual acuity in albinism. We report 3 cases of posterior staphyloma, each with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) defined by phenotype and genotype. Two cases are biological sisters with OCA type 2; one was myopic and the other was hyperopic. The third case involves a man with OCA associated with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS-5). Staphyloma may be another cause of reduced visual acuity in albinism, particularly with increasing age. It may occur in association with myopia or hyperopia. Copyright © 2015 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Dynamic Visual Acuity and Landing Sickness in Crewmembers Returning from Long-Duration Spaceflight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenberg, M.J.F; Peters, B.T.; Reschke, M. F.

    2016-01-01

    Long-term exposure to microgravity causes sensorimotor adaptations that result in functional deficits upon returning to a gravitational environment. At landing the vestibular system and the central nervous system, responsible for coordinating head and eye movements, are adapted to microgravity and must re-adapt to the gravitational environment. This re-adaptation causes decrements in gaze control and dynamic visual acuity, with astronauts reporting oscillopsia and blurred vision. Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is assessed using an oscillating chair developed in the Neuroscience Laboratory at JSC. This chair is lightweight and easily portable for quick deployment in the field. The base of the chair is spring-loaded and allows for manual oscillation of the subject. Using a metronome, the chair is vertically oscillated plus or minus 2 cm at 2 Hz by an operator, to simulate walking. While the subject is being oscillated, they are asked to discern the direction of Landolt-C optotypes of varying sizes and record their direction using a gamepad. The visual acuity thresholds are determined using an algorithm that alters the size of the optotype based on the previous response of the subject using a forced-choice best parameter estimation that is able to rapidly converge on the threshold value. Visual acuity thresholds were determined both for static (seated) and dynamic (oscillating) conditions. Dynamic visual acuity is defined as the difference between the dynamic and static conditions. Dynamic visual acuity measures will be taken prior to flight (typically L-180, L-90, and L-60) and up to eight times after landing, including up to 3 times on R plus 0. Follow up measurements will be taken at R plus 1 (approximately 36 hours after landing). Long-duration International Space Station crewmembers will be tested once at the refueling stop in Europe and once again upon return to Johnson Space Center. In addition to DVA, subjective ratings of motion sickness will be recorded

  4. Combining zonal refractive and diffractive aspheric multifocal intraocular lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muñoz, Gonzalo; Albarrán-Diego, César; Javaloy, Jaime; Sakla, Hani F; Cerviño, Alejandro

    2012-03-01

    To assess visual performance with the combination of a zonal refractive aspheric multifocal intraocular lens (MIOL) (Lentis Mplus, Oculentis GmbH) and a diffractive aspheric MIOL (Acri.Lisa 366, Acri.Tech GmbH). This prospective interventional cohort study comprised 80 eyes from 40 cataract patients (mean age: 65.5±7.3 years) who underwent implantation of the Lentis Mplus MIOL in one eye and Acri.Lisa 366 MIOL in the fellow eye. The main outcome measures were refraction; monocular and binocular uncorrected and corrected distance, intermediate, and near visual acuities; monocular and binocular defocus curves; binocular photopic contrast sensitivity function compared to a monofocal intraocular lens (IOL) control group (40 age-matched pseudophakic patients implanted with the AR-40e [Abbott Medical Optics]); and quality of vision questionnaire. Binocular uncorrected visual acuities were 0.12 logMAR (0.76 decimal) or better at all distances measured between 6 m and 33 cm. The Lentis Mplus provided statistically significant better vision than the Acri.Lisa at distances between 2 m and 40 cm, and the Acri.Lisa provided statistically significant better vision than the Lentis Mplus at 33 cm. Binocular defocus curve showed little drop-off at intermediate distances. Photopic contrast sensitivity function for distance and near were similar to the monofocal IOL control group except for higher frequencies. Moderate glare (15%), night vision problems (12.5%), and halos (10%) were reported. Complete independence of spectacles was achieved by 92.5% of patients. The combination of zonal refractive aspheric and diffractive aspheric MIOLs resulted in excellent uncorrected binocular distance, intermediate, and near vision, with low incidence of significant photic phenomena and high patient satisfaction. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

  5. Impact of colour in the assessment of potential visual acuity in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorrepaal, Stephen J; Markowitz, Samuel N

    2013-06-01

    To compare chromatic and achromatic potential visual acuity (PVA) in patients with bilateral low vision caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Prospective, nonrandomized, observational case series. Fifty-five patients, representing a consecutive series of patients all presenting with bilateral AMD. Best-corrected visual acuity of each eye was measured using an Early Treatment in Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart with appropriate near correction. Included were cases with visual acuity of 0.4 logMAR (20/50) or worse in both eyes. Achromatic and chromatic PVA were measured in each eye using white on black and red on yellow flooding E charts at 50 cm in controlled lighting conditions. One hundred and seven eyes from 55 patients were included in the analysis. Mean achromatic and chromatic PVA were 0.69 ± 0.26 and 0.65 ± 0.22 logMAR, respectively. Overall, patients had a significantly higher chromatic than achromatic PVA, with a median difference of 0.1 logMAR (p<0.05). Patients with ETDRS visual acuity worse than 0.9 logMAR also had a significantly higher chromatic than achromatic PVA, with a median difference of 0.1 logMAR (p<0.05). Patients with ETDRS visual acuity between 0.4 and 0.9 logMAR had a trend toward a higher chromatic than achromatic visual acuity that was not significant, with a median difference of 0.1 logMAR (p = 0.8539). Patients with low vision caused by AMD can discern smaller targets when a red on yellow colour scheme is used than when using achromatic white on black charts. Copyright © 2013 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Relation between Visual Acuity and Slope of Psychometric Function in Young Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoki Tokutake

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Mita et al. (2010 devised a technique of comparing a visual acuity (VA change in an individual with more accurate VA than conventional VA tests by significant difference examined logarithmic (Log VA ± standard deviation (SD. Using this technique, in this study, we examined a relation between VA and the slope of the psychometric function in normal young subjects. Six occlusion foil conditions were employed (1.0, 0.8, 0.6, 0.4, 0.1 and without the foil under a full refractive correction. Ten normal young adults (22.8 years old on average who have no ophthalmologic disease except ametropia participated in the measurement. The experiment was carried out with the constant method, a series of ten Landolt rings were used and each ring was presented 20 times randomly in a measurement. A 5.6-inch type of liquid crystal display driven by a computer, which has 1,280×800 pixels spatial resolution, was used to present the stimulus. In the normal young adults, the slope of the psychometric function did not change as the VA change systematically, and there was almost no correlation between them (r = −0.103.

  7. A Demonstration Project on Driving with Reduced Visual Acuity and a Bioptic Telescope System in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Melis-Dankers, Bart J.M.; Kooijman, Aart C.; Brouwer, Wiebo H.; Busscher, Rens B.; Bredewoud, Ruud A.; Derksen, Peter H.; Amersfoort, Anoeska; IJsseldijk, Martin A.M.; Delden, Geert W. van; Grotenhuis, Thea H.P.A.; Witvliet, M.D.

    2008-01-01

    Background: In Europe, driving a passenger car is prohibited if binocular best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) is below 0.5 (20/40). Some US states allow people with reduced visual acuity to use a bioptic telescope system when driving. The aim of our study is to introduce a bioptic telescope system

  8. Perceptual learning in children with visual impairment improves near visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huurneman, Bianca; Boonstra, F Nienke; Cox, Ralf F A; van Rens, Ger; Cillessen, Antonius H N

    2013-09-17

    This study investigated whether visual perceptual learning can improve near visual acuity and reduce foveal crowding effects in four- to nine-year-old children with visual impairment. Participants were 45 children with visual impairment and 29 children with normal vision. Children with visual impairment were divided into three groups: a magnifier group (n = 12), a crowded perceptual learning group (n = 18), and an uncrowded perceptual learning group (n = 15). Children with normal vision also were divided in three groups, but were measured only at baseline. Dependent variables were single near visual acuity (NVA), crowded NVA, LH line 50% crowding NVA, number of trials, accuracy, performance time, amount of small errors, and amount of large errors. Children with visual impairment trained during six weeks, two times per week, for 30 minutes (12 training sessions). After training, children showed significant improvement of NVA in addition to specific improvements on the training task. The crowded perceptual learning group showed the largest acuity improvements (1.7 logMAR lines on the crowded chart, P children in the crowded perceptual learning group showed improvements on all NVA charts. Children with visual impairment benefit from perceptual training. While task-specific improvements were observed in all training groups, transfer to crowded NVA was largest in the crowded perceptual learning group. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence for the improvement of NVA by perceptual learning in children with visual impairment. (http://www.trialregister.nl number, NTR2537.).

  9. Tactile perception in blind Braille readers: a psychophysical study of acuity and hyperacuity using gratings and dot patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, A C; Thiagarajah, M C; Sathian, K

    2000-02-01

    It is not clear whether the blind are generally superior to the sighted on measures of tactile sensitivity or whether they excel only on certain tests owing to the specifics of their tactile experience. We compared the discrimination performance of blind Braille readers and age-matched sighted subjects on three tactile tasks using precisely specified stimuli. Initially, the blind significantly outperformed the sighted at a hyperacuity task using Braille-like dot patterns, although, with practice, both groups performed equally well. On two other tasks, hyperacute discrimination of gratings that differed in ridge width and spatial-acuity-dependent discrimination of grating orientation, the performance of the blind did not differ significantly from that of sighted subjects. These results probably reflect the specificity of perceptual learning due to Braille-reading experience.

  10. Serial imaging and structure-function correlates of high-density rings of fundus autofluorescence in retinitis pigmentosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robson, Anthony G; Tufail, Adnan; Fitzke, Fred; Bird, Alan C; Moore, Anthony T; Holder, Graham E; Webster, Andrew R

    2011-09-01

    To document the evolution and functional and structural significance of parafoveal rings of high-density fundus autofluorescence (AF) in patients with retinitis pigmentosa and preserved visual acuity. Fifty-two patients with nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa or Usher syndrome, who had a parafoveal ring of high-density AF and a visual acuity of 20/30 or better, were ascertained. All had international standard full-field electroretinography and pattern electroretinography. Autofluorescence imaging was repeated in 30 patients after periods of up to 9.3 years. Of the 52 patients, 35 underwent optical coherence tomography. Progressive constriction of the ring was detected in 17 patients. Ring radius reduced by up to 40% at a mean rate of between 0.8% and 15.8% per year. In 1 patient, a small ring was replaced by irregular AF; visual acuity deteriorated over the same period. There was a high correspondence between the lateral extent of the preserved optical coherence tomography inner segment/outer segment band and the diameter of the ring along the same optical coherence tomographic scan plane (slope, 0.9; r = 0.97; P retina and preserved photopic function. Serial fundus AF may provide prognostic indicators for preservation of central acuity and potentially assist in the identification and evaluation of patients suitable for treatment aimed at preservation of remaining function.

  11. Vision-guided ocular growth in a mutant chicken model with diminished visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritchey, Eric R; Zelinka, Christopher; Tang, Junhua; Liu, Jun; Code, Kimberly A; Petersen-Jones, Simon; Fischer, Andy J

    2012-09-01

    Visual experience is known to guide ocular growth. We tested the hypothesis that vision-guided ocular growth is disrupted in a model system with diminished visual acuity. We examine whether ocular elongation is influenced by form-deprivation (FD) and lens-imposed defocus in the Retinopathy, Globe Enlarged (RGE) chicken. Young RGE chicks have poor visual acuity, without significant retinal pathology, resulting from a mutation in guanine nucleotide-binding protein β3 (GNB3), also known as transducin β3 or Gβ3. The mutation in GNB3 destabilizes the protein and causes a loss of Gβ3 from photoreceptors and ON-bipolar cells (Ritchey et al., 2010). FD increased ocular elongation in RGE eyes in a manner similar to that seen in wild-type (WT) eyes. By comparison, the excessive ocular elongation that results from hyperopic defocus was increased, whereas myopic defocus failed to significantly decrease ocular elongation in RGE eyes. Brief daily periods of unrestricted vision interrupting FD prevented ocular elongation in RGE chicks in a manner similar to that seen in WT chicks. Glucagonergic amacrine cells differentially expressed the immediate early gene Egr1 in response to growth-guiding stimuli in RGE retinas, but the defocus-dependent up-regulation of Egr1 was lesser in RGE retinas compared to that of WT retinas. We conclude that high visual acuity, and the retinal signaling mediated by Gβ3, is not required for emmetropization and the excessive ocular elongation caused by FD and hyperopic defocus. However, the loss of acuity and Gβ3 from RGE retinas causes enhanced responses to hyperopic defocus and diminished responses to myopic defocus. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Visual acuity measures do not reliably detect childhood refractive error--an epidemiological study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa O'Donoghue

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of uncorrected visual acuity measures in screening for refractive error in white school children aged 6-7-years and 12-13-years. METHODS: The Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction (NICER study used a stratified random cluster design to recruit children from schools in Northern Ireland. Detailed eye examinations included assessment of logMAR visual acuity and cycloplegic autorefraction. Spherical equivalent refractive data from the right eye were used to classify significant refractive error as myopia of at least 1DS, hyperopia as greater than +3.50DS and astigmatism as greater than 1.50DC, whether it occurred in isolation or in association with myopia or hyperopia. RESULTS: Results are presented from 661 white 12-13-year-old and 392 white 6-7-year-old school-children. Using a cut-off of uncorrected visual acuity poorer than 0.20 logMAR to detect significant refractive error gave a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 92% in 6-7-year-olds and 73% and 93% respectively in 12-13-year-olds. In 12-13-year-old children a cut-off of poorer than 0.20 logMAR had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 91% in detecting myopia and a sensitivity of 41% and a specificity of 84% in detecting hyperopia. CONCLUSIONS: Vision screening using logMAR acuity can reliably detect myopia, but not hyperopia or astigmatism in school-age children. Providers of vision screening programs should be cognisant that where detection of uncorrected hyperopic and/or astigmatic refractive error is an aspiration, current UK protocols will not effectively deliver.

  13. Microactuator production via high aspect ratio, high edge acuity metal fabrication technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guckel, H.; Christenson, T. R.

    1993-01-01

    LIGA is a procession sequence which uses x-ray lithography on photoresist layers of several hundred micrometers to produce very high edge acuity photopolymer molds. These plastic molds can be converted to metal molds via electroplating of many different metals and alloys. The end results are high edge acuity metal parts with large structural heights. The LIGA process as originally described by W. Ehrfeld can be extended by adding a surface micromachining phase to produce precision metal parts which can be assembled to form three-dimensional micromechanisms. This process, SLIGA, has been used to fabricate a dynamometer on a chip. The instrument has been fully implemented and will be applied to tribology issues, speed-torque characterization of planar magnetic micromotors and a new family of sensors.

  14. Progressive improvement of impaired visual acuity during the first year after transsphenoidal surgery for non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dekkers, O. M.; de Keizer, R. J. W.; Roelfsema, F.; Vd Klaauw, A. A.; Honkoop, P. J.; van Dulken, H.; Smit, J. W. A.; Romijn, J. A.; Pereira, A. M.

    2007-01-01

    Improvement of visual field defects continues even years after the initial surgical treatment. Because this process of continuing improvement has not been documented for visual acuity, we audited our data to explore the pattern of recovery of visual acuity until 1 year after transsphenoidal surgery

  15. Normative monocular visual acuity for early treatment diabetic retinopathy study charts in emmetropic children 5 to 12 years of age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobson, Velma; Clifford-Donaldson, Candice E; Green, Tina K; Miller, Joseph M; Harvey, Erin M

    2009-07-01

    To provide normative data for children tested with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts. Cross-sectional study. A total of 252 Native American (Tohono O'odham) children aged 5 to 12 years. On the basis of cycloplegic refraction conducted on the day of testing, all were emmetropic (myopia < or =0.25 diopter [D] spherical equivalent, hyperopia < or =1.00 D spherical equivalent, and astigmatism < or =0.50 D in both eyes). Monocular visual acuity was tested at 4 m, using 1 ETDRS chart for the right eye (RE) and another for the left eye (LE). Visual acuity was scored as the total number of letters correctly identified, by naming or matching to letters on a lap card, and as the smallest letter size for which the child identified 3 of 5 letters correctly. Visual acuity results did not differ for the RE versus the LE, so data are reported for the RE only. Mean visual acuity for 5-year-olds (0.16 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR] [20/29]) was significantly worse than for 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds (0.05 logMAR [20/22] or better at each age). The lower 95% prediction limit for determining whether a child has visual acuity within the normal range was 0.38 (20/48) for 5-year-olds and 0.30 (20/40) for 6- to 12-year-olds, which was reduced to 0.32 (20/42) for 5-year-olds and 0.21 (20/32) for 6- to 12-year-olds when recalculated with outlying data points removed. Mean interocular acuity difference did not vary by age, averaging less than 1 logMAR line at each age, with a lower 95% prediction limit of 0.17 log unit (1.7 logMAR lines) across all ages. For monocular visual acuity based on ETDRS charts to be in the normal range, it must be better than 20/50 for 5-year-olds and better than 20/40 for 6- to 12-year-olds. Normal interocular acuity difference includes values of less than 2 logMAR lines. Normative ETDRS visual acuity values are not as good as norms reported for adults, suggesting that a child's visual acuity results should

  16. Preschool acuity of the approximate number system correlates with school math ability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Libertus, Melissa E; Feigenson, Lisa; Halberda, Justin

    2011-11-01

    Previous research shows a correlation between individual differences in people's school math abilities and the accuracy with which they rapidly and nonverbally approximate how many items are in a scene. This finding is surprising because the Approximate Number System (ANS) underlying numerical estimation is shared with infants and with non-human animals who never acquire formal mathematics. However, it remains unclear whether the link between individual differences in math ability and the ANS depends on formal mathematics instruction. Earlier studies demonstrating this link tested participants only after they had received many years of mathematics education, or assessed participants' ANS acuity using tasks that required additional symbolic or arithmetic processing similar to that required in standardized math tests. To ask whether the ANS and math ability are linked early in life, we measured the ANS acuity of 200 3- to 5-year-old children using a task that did not also require symbol use or arithmetic calculation. We also measured children's math ability and vocabulary size prior to the onset of formal math instruction. We found that children's ANS acuity correlated with their math ability, even when age and verbal skills were controlled for. These findings provide evidence for a relationship between the primitive sense of number and math ability starting early in life. 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  17. Perceptual Learning in Children With Visual Impairment Improves Near Visual Acuity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huurneman, Bianca; Boonstra, F. Nienke; Cox, Ralf F. A.; van Rens, Ger; Cillessen, Antonius H. N.

    PURPOSE. This study investigated whether visual perceptual learning can improve near visual acuity and reduce foveal crowding effects in four-to nine-year-old children with visual impairment. METHODS. Participants were 45 children with visual impairment and 29 children with normal vision. Children

  18. Perceptual Learning in Children With Visual Impairment Improves Near Visual Acuity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huurneman, B.; Boonstra, F.N.; Cox, R.F.A.; van Rens, G.H.M.B.; Cillessen, A.H.N.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose. This study investigated whether visual perceptual learning can improve near visual acuity and reduce foveal crowding effects in four- to nine-year-old children with visual impairment. Methods. Participants were 45 children with visual impairment and 29 children with normal vision. Children

  19. Perceptual learning in children with visual impairment improves near visual acuity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huurneman, B.; Boonstra, F.N.; Cox, R.F.; Rens, G. van; Cillessen, A.H.

    2013-01-01

    PURPOSE: This study investigated whether visual perceptual learning can improve near visual acuity and reduce foveal crowding effects in four- to nine-year-old children with visual impairment. METHODS: Participants were 45 children with visual impairment and 29 children with normal vision. Children

  20. Perceptual Learning in Children With Visual Impairment Improves Near Visual Acuity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huurneman, B.; Boonstra, F.N.; Cox, R.F.A.; Rens, G.H.M.B. van; Cillessen, A.H.N.

    2013-01-01

    PURPOSE. This study investigated whether visual perceptual learning can improve near visual acuity and reduce foveal crowding effects in four-to nine-year-old children with visual impairment. METHODS. Participants were 45 children with visual impairment and 29 children with normal vision. Children

  1. EXAMINATION OF THE VISUAL ACUITY ON THE LCD OPTOTYPE WITH WHOLE-LINE AND INTERPOLATION METHOD

    OpenAIRE

    Zajíček Tomáš; Veselý Petr; Veselý Petr; Synek Svatopluk; Synek Svatopluk

    2012-01-01

    The goal of this work is to show the possibility of us using the LCD optotype in common optometrist practice. Furthermore two commonly used methods for measuring visual acuity will be compared. 69 respondents were used for the measurements. The respondents were divided into two groups according to the measured LCD optotype. The visual acuity was measured using the whole-line method on modified Snellen charts as well as the interpolation method on ETDRS charts. Measurements were taken on the S...

  2. Comparación del LASIK convencional y el LASIK asférico en el tratamiento de la ametropía Comparison of conventional LASIK and aspheric LASIK in the treatment of ametropia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanaisa Riverón Ruiz

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: comparar los resultados del LASIK con patrón de ablación convencional y el asférico en la corrección de ametropías y evaluar la sensibilidad al contraste en ambos procedimientos. Métodos: se realizó un estudio comparativo y prospectivo en 64 pacientes de la consulta externa del Servicio de Cirugía Refractiva del Instituto Cubano de Oftalmología "Ramón Pando Ferrer". Estos fueron distribuidos aleatoriamente en dos grupos iguales para ambas técnicas. Las variables estudiadas fueron agudeza visual sin corrección y mejor corregida, aberración y sensibilidad al contraste en condiciones fotópicas. Resultados: la agudeza visual sin corrección mejoró ocho líneas en la cartilla de Snellen, sin diferencias entre ambos procedimientos. La aberración esférica presentó un valor medio inferior en el tratamiento asférico (0,30. Se encontró una disminución de la sensibilidad al contraste después del tratamiento convencional. Conclusiones: ambas técnicas quirúrgicas mantienen una buena agudeza visual con corrección y sin esta, después de la cirugía en ambientes fotópicos. La calidad visual del tratamiento asférico es superior, al inducir menor aberración esférica y mejor sensibilidad al contraste después de cirugía.Objective: to compare the results obtained with the LASIK using both conventional and aspheric patterns to correct ametropies and to evaluate the contrast sensitivity after these two procedures. Methods: a comparative and prospective study was conducted in 64 patients who attended the refractive surgery outpatient service of “Ramon Pando Ferrer” Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology. They were randomly distributed in two groups for both procedures. Several variables were studied such as: uncorrected visual acuity, best corrected visual acuity, aberration and contrast sensitivity at photopic conditions. Results: uncorrected visual acuity improved 8 lines in the Snellen’s chart, without significant

  3. Individual differences in non-verbal number acuity correlate with maths achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halberda, Justin; Mazzocco, Michèle M M; Feigenson, Lisa

    2008-10-02

    Human mathematical competence emerges from two representational systems. Competence in some domains of mathematics, such as calculus, relies on symbolic representations that are unique to humans who have undergone explicit teaching. More basic numerical intuitions are supported by an evolutionarily ancient approximate number system that is shared by adults, infants and non-human animals-these groups can all represent the approximate number of items in visual or auditory arrays without verbally counting, and use this capacity to guide everyday behaviour such as foraging. Despite the widespread nature of the approximate number system both across species and across development, it is not known whether some individuals have a more precise non-verbal 'number sense' than others. Furthermore, the extent to which this system interfaces with the formal, symbolic maths abilities that humans acquire by explicit instruction remains unknown. Here we show that there are large individual differences in the non-verbal approximation abilities of 14-year-old children, and that these individual differences in the present correlate with children's past scores on standardized maths achievement tests, extending all the way back to kindergarten. Moreover, this correlation remains significant when controlling for individual differences in other cognitive and performance factors. Our results show that individual differences in achievement in school mathematics are related to individual differences in the acuity of an evolutionarily ancient, unlearned approximate number sense. Further research will determine whether early differences in number sense acuity affect later maths learning, whether maths education enhances number sense acuity, and the extent to which tertiary factors can affect both.

  4. RISK FOR LOW VISUAL ACUITY AFTER 1 AND 2 YEARS OF TREATMENT WITH RANIBIZUMAB OR BEVACIZUMAB FOR PATIENTS WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westborg, Inger; Albrecht, Susanne; Rosso, Aldana

    2017-11-01

    To investigate how patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with ranibizumab or bevacizumab respond to treatment in daily clinical practice. Data from the Swedish Macula Register on the treatment received by 3,912 patients during 2011 to 2014 is reported. Patients' characteristics at the first visit, visual acuity, number of injections, and reason for terminating the treatment if applicable are discussed. Furthermore, the risk of having poor vision (visual acuity under 60 Early Treatment Diabetes Retinopathy Study letters or approximately 20/60 Snellen) is calculated for the treated eye after 1 year and 2 years. The treatment outcome depends on the visual acuity at the first visit. For patients with visual acuity more than 60 letters, the risk of having a visual acuity lower than 60 letters after 1 year or 2 years of treatment is approximately 20%. However, for patients with low visual acuity at diagnosis (fewer than 60 letters), the risk is approximately 60%. The risk of having a visual acuity lower than 60 letters does not depend on the choice of treatment drug. Treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injections mainly maintains the visual acuity level, and only approximately 20% and 40% of the patients required vision rehabilitation after 1 year and 2 years, respectively.

  5. A randomised comparison between an inexpensive, general-purpose headlight and a purpose-built surgical headlight on users' visual acuity and colour vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Street, I; Sayles, M; Nistor, M; McRae, A R

    2014-02-01

    To determine if there are any differences in near visual acuity and colour vision between an inexpensive general-purpose light emitting diode (LED) headlight and a purpose-built surgical LED headlight. A prospective study was conducted sequentially comparing near visual acuity and colour vision, the headlights being tested in random order, in a testing room with a constant minimal amount of background light. The participants were NHS employee volunteers, with self-declared normal (or corrected) vision, working in occupations requiring full literacy. For visual acuity, outcome was measured by recording the smallest font legible when using each headlight when the subject read a near visual acuity test card. For colour vision, the outcome was passing or failing the Ishihara test. There was no statistically significant difference between the general-purpose and the purpose-built headlights in users' near visual acuity or colour vision.

  6. Temporal acuity and speech recognition score in noise in patients with multiple sclerosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehri Maleki

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: Multiple sclerosis (MS is one of the central nervous system diseases can be associated with a variety of symptoms such as hearing disorders. The main consequence of hearing loss is poor speech perception, and temporal acuity has important role in speech perception. We evaluated the speech perception in silent and in the presence of noise and temporal acuity in patients with multiple sclerosis.Methods: Eighteen adults with multiple sclerosis with the mean age of 37.28 years and 18 age- and sex- matched controls with the mean age of 38.00 years participated in this study. Temporal acuity and speech perception were evaluated by random gap detection test (GDT and word recognition score (WRS in three different signal to noise ratios.Results: Statistical analysis of test results revealed significant differences between the two groups (p<0.05. Analysis of gap detection test (in 4 sensation levels and word recognition score in both groups showed significant differences (p<0.001.Conclusion: According to this survey, the ability of patients with multiple sclerosis to process temporal features of stimulus was impaired. It seems that, this impairment is important factor to decrease word recognition score and speech perception.

  7. A new Snellen's visual acuity chart with 'Indian' numerals.

    OpenAIRE

    Al-Salem, M

    1987-01-01

    'Indian' numerals, which are popular among the Arab population, were used to devise a new Snellen's visual acuity chart. The new chart has the advantages of a reading chart. It keeps the patient's interest, does not miss alexic patients, and is quicker to perform. It is also devoid of the many disadvantages of a kinetic response chart (the capital E letter or Landolt's broken rings), especially that of the limited option of test objects.

  8. Changes in smell acuity induced by radiation exposure of the olfactory mucosa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ophir, D.; Guterman, A.; Gross-Isseroff, R.

    1988-01-01

    The effects of ionizing radiation on smell acuity were assessed in 12 patients in whom the olfactory mucosa was exposed to radiation in the course of treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma or pituitary adenoma. Olfactory detection thresholds for two odorants (amyl acetate and eugenol) were determined before the start of radiation therapy, within a week of termination of therapy, and 1, 3, and 6 months later. The results show clearly that smell acuity is profoundly affected by therapeutic irradiation. Thresholds had increased in all 12 patients by the end of treatment and were still high one month later. Varying degrees of recovery were noted in most patients three to six months after cessation of treatment. The fate of the sense of smell deserves more attention when considering the disability caused by irradiation to certain head and neck tumors

  9. Astronauts Cooper and Conrad prepare cameras during visual acuity tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    1965-01-01

    Astronauts L. Gordon Cooper Jr. (left), command pilot, and Charles Conrad Jr., pilot, the prime crew of the Gemini 5 space flight, prepare their cameras while aboard a C-130 aircraft flying near Laredo. The two astronauts are taking part in a series of visual acuity experiments to aid them in learning to identify known terrestrial features under controlled conditions.

  10. How well do you see what you hear? The acuity of visual-to-auditory sensory substitution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alastair eHaigh

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Sensory substitution devices (SSDs aim to compensate for the loss of a sensory modality, typically vision, by converting information from the lost modality into stimuli in a remaining modality. The vOICe is a visual-to-auditory SSD which encodes images taken by a camera worn by the user into soundscapes such that an experienced user can extract information about their surroundings. Here we investigated how much detail was resolvable during the early induction stages by testing the acuity of blindfolded sighted, naïve vOICe users. Initial performance was well above chance. Participants who took the test twice as a form of minimal training showed a marked improvement on the second test. Acuity was slightly but not significantly impaired when participants wore a camera and judged letter orientations live. A positive correlation was found between participants’ musical training and their acuity. The relationship between auditory expertise via musical training and the lack of a relationship with visual imagery, suggests that early use of a sensory substitution device draws primarily on the mechanisms of the sensory modality being used rather than the one being substituted. If vision is lost, audition represents the sensory channel of highest bandwidth of those remaining. The level of acuity found here, and the fact it was achieved with very little experience in sensory substitution by naïve users is promising.

  11. Using the Freiburg Acuity and Contrast Test to measure visual performance in USAF personnel after PRK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dennis, Richard J; Beer, Jeremy M A; Baldwin, J Bruce; Ivan, Douglas J; Lorusso, Frank J; Thompson, William T

    2004-07-01

    Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) may be an alternative to spectacle and contact lens wear for United States Air Force (USAF) aircrew and may offer some distinct advantages in operational situations. However, any residual corneal haze or scar formation from PRK could exacerbate the disabling effects of a bright glare source on a complex visual task. The USAF recently completed a longitudinal clinical evaluation of the long-term effects of PRK on visual performance, including the experiment described herein. After baseline data were collected, 20 nonflying active duty USAF personnel underwent PRK. Visual performance was then measured at 6, 12, and 24 months after PRK. Visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) data were collected by using the Freiburg Acuity and Contrast Test (FrACT), with the subject viewing half of the runs through a polycarbonate windscreen. Experimental runs were completed under 3 glare conditions: no glare source and with either a broadband or a green laser (532-nm) glare annulus (luminance approximately 6090 cd/m) surrounding the Landolt C stimulus. Systematic effects of PRK on VA relative to baseline were not identified. However, VA was almost 2 full Snellen lines worse with the laser glare source in place versus the broadband glare source. A significant drop-off was observed in CS performance after PRK under conditions of no glare and broadband glare; this was the case both with and without the windscreen. As with VA, laser glare disrupted CS performance significantly and more than broadband glare did. PRK does not appear to have affected VA, but the changes in CS might represent a true decline in visual performance. The greater disruptive effects from laser versus broadband glare may be a result of increased masking from coherent spatial noise (speckle) surrounding the laser stimulus.

  12. Artificial pupil versus contralateral balanced contact lens fit for presbyopia correction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Santiago García-Lázaro

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To assess and compare the effects of contact lens-based artificial pupil design and contralateral balanced multifocal contact lens combination (CBMCLC on visual performance. Methods: This randomized crossover study conducted at the University of Valencia, Spain included 38 presbyopic patients using an artificial pupil contact lens in the nondominant eye and a CBMCLC. After a month of lens wear, the binocular distance visual acuity (BDVA, binocular near visual acuity (BNVA, defocus curve, binocular distance, and near contrast sensitivity and near stereoacuity (NSA were measured under photopic conditions (85 cd/m2. Moreover, BDVA and binocular distance contrast sensitivity were examined under mesopic conditions (5 cd/m2. Results: Visual acuity at an intermediate distance and near vision was better with the CBMCLC than with the artificial pupil (p<0.05. Statistically significant differences were found in contrast sensitivity between the two types of correction for distance (under mesopic conditions and for near vision, with the CBMCLC exhibiting better results in both cases (p<0.05. The mean NSA values obtained for the artificial pupil contact lens were significantly worse than those for the CBMCLC (p=0.001. Conclusion: The CBMCLC provided greater visual performance in terms of intermediate and near vision compared with the artificial pupil contact lens.

  13. [Comparative clinical study of wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis with versus without iris recognition for myopia or myopic astigmatism].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei-qun; Zhang, Jin-song; Zhao, Xiao-jin

    2011-10-01

    iris recognition group increased (t = 3.414, -2.870; P = 0.027, 0.045), in particular of coma; the general higher-order aberrations (t = 0.386, 1.132; P = 0.719, 0.321), 4-order aberrations (t = 0.808, 2.720; P = 0.464, 0.063), and 5-order aberrations (t = 0.148, -1.717; P = 0.890, 0.161) show no statistically significant difference. Three months after surgery, two groups have recovered at all spatial frequencies of CSF, iris recognition group at 3.0 c/d (t = 3.209, P = 0.002) and 6.0 c/d (t = 2.997, P = 0.004) spatial frequencies of CSF under mesopic condition was better than non-iris recognition group, glare contrast sensitivity function (GCSF) for 3.0 c/d (t = 3.423, P = 0.001) and 6.0 c/d (t = 6.986, P = 0.000) spatial frequencies under mesopic condition and 1.5 c/d (t = 9.839, P = 0.000) and 3.0 c/d (t = 7.367, P = 0.000) spatial frequencies under photopic condition in iris recognition group were better than non-iris recognition group, there were no significant difference between two groups at the other spatial frequencies. Wavefront-guided LASIK with or without iris recognition both acquired better postoperative visual acuity, but in comparison with without iris recognition, wavefront-guided LASIK with iris recognition is efficient to reduce coma and enhance contrast sensitivity of postoperative.

  14. Visual acuity at 10 years in Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (CRYO-ROP) study eyes: effect of retinal residua of retinopathy of prematurity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobson, Velma; Quinn, Graham E; Summers, C Gail; Hardy, Robert J; Tung, Betty

    2006-02-01

    To describe recognition (letter) acuity at age 10 years in eyes with and without retinal residua of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Presence and severity of ROP residua were documented by a study ophthalmologist. Masked testers measured monocular recognition visual acuity (Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study) when the children were 10 years old. Two hundred forty-seven of 255 surviving Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (CRYO-ROP) randomized trial patients participated. A reference group of 102 of 104 Philadelphia-based CRYO-ROP study participants who did not develop ROP was also tested. More severe retinal residua were associated with worse visual acuity, regardless of whether retinal ablation was performed to treat the severe acute-phase ROP. However, within each ROP residua category, there was a wide range of visual acuity results. This is the first report of the relation between visual acuity (Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts) and structural abnormalities related to ROP in a large group of eyes that developed threshold ROP in the perinatal period. Visual deficits are greater in eyes with more severe retinal residua than in eyes with mild or no residua. However, severity of ROP residua does not predict the visual acuity of an individual eye because within a single residua category, acuity may range from near normal to blind.

  15. Sensorimotor posture control in the blind: superior ankle proprioceptive acuity does not compensate for vision loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozdemir, Recep A; Pourmoghaddam, Amir; Paloski, William H

    2013-09-01

    To better understand sensorimotor posture control differences between blind and sighted individuals, we examined the role of ankle joint proprioception and ankle muscle strength on postural control in healthy blind (n=13, 25-58 years) and age- and sex-matched sighted (n=15, 20-65 years) volunteers. We measured ankle joint proprioceptive acuity and isokinetic muscle strength in plantarflexion and dorsiflexion using an isokinetic dynamometer. We also assessed postural control performance during quiet bipedal stance with and without sudden postural perturbations, and during quiet unipedal stance. We found that while our blind subjects exhibited significantly better proprioceptive acuity than our sighted subjects their postural control performance was significantly poorer than that of the sighted group with eyes open, and no different from that of the sighted group with eyes closed suggesting that their superior proprioceptive acuity does not translate to improved balance control. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Influences of multiple memory systems on auditory mental image acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro Cebrian, Ana; Janata, Petr

    2010-05-01

    The influence of different memory systems and associated attentional processes on the acuity of auditory images, formed for the purpose of making intonation judgments, was examined across three experiments using three different task types (cued-attention, imagery, and two-tone discrimination). In experiment 1 the influence of implicit long-term memory for musical scale structure was manipulated by varying the scale degree (leading tone versus tonic) of the probe note about which a judgment had to be made. In experiments 2 and 3 the ability of short-term absolute pitch knowledge to develop was manipulated by presenting blocks of trials in the same key or in seven different keys. The acuity of auditory images depended on all of these manipulations. Within individual listeners, thresholds in the two-tone discrimination and cued-attention conditions were closely related. In many listeners, cued-attention thresholds were similar to thresholds in the imagery condition, and depended on the amount of training individual listeners had in playing a musical instrument. The results indicate that mental images formed at a sensory/cognitive interface for the purpose of making perceptual decisions are highly malleable.

  17. Influence of head posture on the visual acuity of children with nystagmus

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    Ana Carla Ramos Vieira da Costa

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Evaluate the relationship between the postural alignment of the head and possible interference in the view of children. Methods: We evaluated 11 children between 2 and 7 years of age of both sexes, with the visually impaired, who had nystagmus and head lock position. The test Lea Grating Acuity Test® was used to collect measurements of visual acuity. This applied on two occasions: with and without postural alignment of the head. For reliability of the postural alignment of the head, the slopes were measured by Fisiologic® software. Results: The children had a poorer performance after physiological postural alignment. This poor performance is possible due to loss of position lock nystagmus to gain postural alignment, said to be ideal. Postural compensations were observed, and sharply increased eyestrain. Conclusion: The pursuit of traditional postural alignment affect the visual response of children with visual impairments.

  18. Outcome of visual acuity after surgical removal of pituitary adenomas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grković Desanka

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Pituitary adenomas with suprasellar extension may produce anterior visual pathway compression, resulting in characteristic visual deficit. Surgical decompression of these structures prevents further visual deterioration and its postop­ erative recovery. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate pre­ and postoperative visual acuity (VA in patients with pituitary ad­ enomas, and to detect the influence of prognostic factors, such as symptoms duration, degree of visual acuity reduction and tumor size in the assessment of the prognosis of postoperative visual function. Methods. We analyzed 40 consecutive patients who fulfilled three criteria: evidence of preoperative visual dysfunction, transsphenoidal or transfrontal tumor resection and hystologically verified pituitary adenoma. A visual examination was performed under standard conditions, pre and postoperatively (10 days, one month and six months after surgery. A paired t­test was used to assess the differences of pre­ and postoperative characteristics values, and the Chisquare test of independence in the assessment of the influence of prognostic factors. Results. Postoperative improvement of VA was seen in 84.61% patients (68% eyes. Eyes with preoperative mild and moderate degree of VA reduction showed improvement in 89.65% eyes in contrast to 22.60% eyes with preoperative severe reduction of VA, which was all statistically significant. Eyes in patients with tumor smaller than 20 mm had improvement of VA in 91.66% eyes, while eyes with tumor larger than 40 mm had improvement of VA in 61.11% eyes, which was statistically significant. When symptoms duration was below two years the improvement of VA was detected in 65.38% eyes as related to 50% eyes with symptoms duration exceeding two years, which was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Pituitary adenomas commonly cause visual impairment. Postoperatively the majority of patients show a distinct improvement of

  19. Comparison of the visual and intraocular optical performance of a refractive multifocal IOL with rotational asymmetry and an apodized diffractive multifocal IOL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alió, Jorge L; Plaza-Puche, Ana B; Javaloy, Jaime; Ayala, María José

    2012-02-01

    To compare the visual outcomes and intraocular optical quality observed postoperatively in patients implanted with a rotationally asymmetric multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) and an apodized diffractive multifocal IOL. Seventy-four consecutive eyes of 40 cataract patients (age range: 36 to 79 years) were divided into two groups: zonal refractive group, 39 eyes implanted with a rotationally asymmetric multifocal IOL (Lentis Mplus LS-312 IOL, Oculentis GmbH); and diffractive group, 35 eyes implanted with an apodized diffractive multifocal IOL (ReSTOR SN6AD3, Alcon Laboratories Inc). Distance and near visual acuity outcomes, contrast sensitivity, intraocular optical quality, and defocus curves were evaluated during 3-month follow-up. Calculation of the intraocular aberrations was performed by subtracting corneal aberrations from total ocular aberrations. Uncorrected near visual acuity and distance-corrected near visual acuity were better in the diffractive group than in the zonal refractive group (P=.01), whereas intermediate visual acuity (defocus +1.00 and +1.50 diopters) was better in the zonal refractive group. Photopic contrast sensitivity was significantly better in the zonal refractive group (P=.04). Wavefront aberrations (total, higher order, tilt, primary coma) were significantly higher in the zonal refractive group than in the diffractive group (P=.02). Both multifocal IOLs are able to successfully restore visual function after cataract surgery. The zonal refractive multifocal IOL provides better results in contrast sensitivity and intermediate vision, whereas the diffractive multifocal IOL provides better near vision at a closer distance. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

  20. Effect of occlusion amblyopia after prescribed full-time occlusion on long-term visual acuity outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longmuir, Susannah; Pfeifer, Wanda; Scott, William; Olson, Richard

    2013-01-01

    To investigate the incidence and characteristics of occlusion amblyopia with prescribed full-time patching and determine its effect on long-term visual acuity outcomes. The records of patients younger than 10 years diagnosed as having amblyopia between 1970 and 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were prescribed full-time occlusion and observed until completion of therapy. Of 597 patients treated for amblyopia by full-time patching, 115 were diagnosed as having occlusion amblyopia (19.3%). Seventy-five percent (86 of 115) developed occlusion amblyopia during the first episode of full-time patching. Occlusion amblyopia occurred more frequently in children prescribed full-time patching at an earlier age (P = .0002), with an odds ratio of 8.56 (95% confidence interval: 2.73, 26.84) in children younger than 36 months and 2.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.96, 7.37) in children between 36 and 59 months old. Seven of the patients with occlusion amblyopia did not reverse fixation and continued to fixate with the initially amblyopic eye after treatment. Final visual acuity in these eyes with occlusion amblyopia was 20/30 or better. After cessation of treatment, the final interocular difference in visual acuity was less in patients with a history of occlusion amblyopia (P = .003). Occlusion amblyopia occurred at all ages, but the incidence decreased with increasing age. Patients who developed occlusion amblyopia with prescribed full-time occlusion had less interocular visual acuity difference than patients who did not, suggesting that development of occlusion amblyopia can indicate the potential for the development of better vision in the originally amblyopic eye. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  1. Visual Acuity Improvement of Amblyopia in an Adult With Levodopa/Carbidopa Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orge, Faruk H; Dar, Suhail A

    2015-09-09

    Amblyopia is the leading cause of visual loss in children, affecting 2% to 3% of the population. Occlusion of the dominant eye is the primary and best treatment, although efficacy decreases after 6 years of age. As a result, levodopa/carbidopa has been explored as an adjunct to conventional therapy and has been shown to have an immediate impact on visual acuity. Several studies to date have shown mixed results on the benefit of supplementing occlusion therapy with levodopa/carbidopa, although they have primarily studied children. The authors describe the oldest patient (46 years old) documented in the literature to have shown improvement in visual acuity using levodopa/carbidopa. He was given a 16-week course at a dose in line with previous studies while being effectively occluded full time due to a glaucomatous right eye with no light perception. On 3-month follow-up, his left eye improved two lines and stabilized at 6 months. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

  2. Evaluation of a visual acuity test using closed Landolt-Cs to determine malingering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kröger, Nils; Jürgens, Clemens; Kohlmann, Thomas; Tost, Frank

    2017-12-01

    To evaluate a visual acuity test (VAT) with unexpected optotypes to detect malingering. We tested two groups. Group 1 consisted of 20 individuals with normal best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Group 2 included participants with ocular diseases and reduced BCVA. All subjects underwent a VAT proposed by Gräf and Roesen to assess suspected malingering. This test used 36 charts with one Landolt-C per page. The first 20 optotypes were Landolt-Cs, while at positions 21, 26, 30, and 34 closed rings were presented. The testing distance was adapted to 50% of the test person's visual acuity. The test person was requested to name the gap direction of the Landolt-C within 3 s. The complete testing conversation was recorded digitally to determine response latency for each optotype from the audio tracks. The average response time was 0.46 s in group 1 and 0.45 s in group 2 for the first 20 Landolt-Cs. In both groups the response time was significantly extended (p ring compared to the mean of the first 20 Landolt-Cs, (group 1: 2.9 s; group 2: 2.3 s). The following three closed rings had also longer response times. However, these differences were not significant. Our results suggest that the proposed test may be helpful to evaluate ocular malingering. The testing procedure appeared to be feasible and showed good repeatability. The fast training effect may be a limitation for malingering detection.

  3. Changes in brain morphology in albinism reflect reduced visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridge, Holly; von dem Hagen, Elisabeth A H; Davies, George; Chambers, Claire; Gouws, Andre; Hoffmann, Michael; Morland, Antony B

    2014-07-01

    Albinism, in humans and many animal species, has a major impact on the visual system, leading to reduced acuity, lack of binocular function and nystagmus. In addition to the lack of a foveal pit, there is a disruption to the routing of the nerve fibers crossing at the optic chiasm, resulting in excessive crossing of fibers to the contralateral hemisphere. However, very little is known about the effect of this misrouting on the structure of the post-chiasmatic visual pathway, and the occipital lobes in particular. Whole-brain analyses of cortical thickness in a large cohort of subjects with albinism showed an increase in cortical thickness, relative to control subjects, particularly in posterior V1, corresponding to the foveal representation. Furthermore, mean cortical thickness across entire V1 was significantly greater in these subjects compared to controls and negatively correlated with visual acuity in albinism. Additionally, the group with albinism showed decreased gyrification in the left ventral occipital lobe. While the increase in cortical thickness in V1, also found in congenitally blind subjects, has been interpreted to reflect a lack of pruning, the decreased gyrification in the ventral extrastriate cortex may reflect the reduced input to the foveal regions of the ventral visual stream. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. VISUAL ABILITY IN AMBLYOPIC CHILDREN COMPARED TO CHILDREN WITH NORMAL VISUAL ACUITY

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    Zorica Tončić

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Vision rehabilitation in adults with low vision, even in children, is achieved with special devices, called low vision aids, LVA. The aim of the study is to determine the degree of visual function in amblyopic children and daily activities that are best related to those of normally sighted peers with normal visual acuity. The subjects were divided into two groups, matched 1:1 by age and gender: the first group consisted of 19 amblyopic children, and the second one consisted of 19 children with normal visual acuity. The questionnaire used to assess visual ability was Cardiff Visual Ability Questionnaire for Children (CVAQC, a reliable instrument for measuring visual ability in children with low vision. The study was conducted in the only rehabilitation center for amblyopic children in this region, so this is also a pioneer study. The overall result of CVAQC in amblyopic children was 1.287 log vs.-2.956, representing statistically significantly poorer visual ability in comparison to peers without vision deficit (p˂0.005. Amblyopic children function best in entertainment activities, especially in listening music (-2.31 log; as for sport, these children report swimming to be their favourite activity (-0.99 log. In the field of education they show best results in language acquisition (-0.79 log and the worst in mathematics (3.13 log. The greatest problem is reading small print texts books (2.61 log. Low vision children have poorer result of visual function in comparison to their peers with normal visual acuity. A precise deficit assessment in the most important spheres of life can be determined by using the questionnaires, so the rehabilitation can be rightly chosen.

  5. Independence and interaction of luminance and chromatic contributions to spatial hyperacuity performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Bonnie; Lee, Barry B

    2014-04-01

    Here we test interactions of luminance and chromatic input to spatial hyperacuity mechanisms. First, we tested alignment of luminance and chromatic gratings matched or mismatched in contrast polarity or grating type. Thresholds with matched gratings were low while all mismatched pairs were elevated. Second, we determined alignment acuity as a function of luminance or chromatic contrast alone or in the presence of constant contrast components of the other type. For in-phase components, performance followed the envelope of the more sensitive mechanism. However, polarity reversals revealed an asymmetric effect for luminance and chromatic conditions, which suggested that luminance can override chromatic mechanisms in hyperacuity; we interpret these findings in the context of spatial mechanisms.

  6. Macular Structures, Optical Components, and Visual Acuity in Preschool Children after Intravitreal Bevacizumab or Laser Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yung-Sung; See, Lai-Chu; Chang, Shu-Hao; Wang, Nan-Kai; Hwang, Yih-Shiou; Lai, Chi-Chun; Chen, Kuan-Jen; Wu, Wei-Chi

    2018-05-10

    To investigate the macular structures, optical components, and visual acuity in preschool-aged children with a history of type I retinopathy of prematurity who underwent either intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB), laser, or a combination of treatments. Comparative interventional case series. A referred medical center in Taiwan. 80 eyes from 42 patients (33 IVB-treated eyes from 17 children, 24 laser-treated eyes from 13 children, and 23 laser + IVB-treated eyes from 12 children). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The retinal thickness in the foveal area and the associated morphologic changes in foveal depression. Compared with the laser-treated and laser + IVB-treated eyes, the IVB-treated eyes had less myopia and deeper anterior chamber depths but presented similar axial lengths and corneal curvatures (P = .001, .002, .95 and .16, respectively). The IVB-treated eyes had significantly thinner foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal retinal thicknesses (P < .01 for all) and a higher incidence of foveal depression than the laser- or laser + IVB-treated eyes. The macular and subfoveal choroidal thicknesses did not differ among the groups (P = .21 and .63, respectively). Moreover, compared with the eyes treated with laser or laser + IVB, the IVB-treated eyes had better uncorrected visual acuity, although a significant difference was not observed in best-corrected visual acuity (P = .008 and .29, respectively). Compared with laser therapy, IVB-treated eyes were associated with deeper anterior chamber depths and thinner foveal, parafoveal and perifoveal thicknesses. Moreover, these IVB-treated eyes had less refractive errors and better uncorrected visual acuity. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Low-level laser therapy improves visual acuity in adolescent and adult patients with amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivandic, Boris T; Ivandic, Tomislav

    2012-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on visual acuity in adolescent and adult patients with amblyopia. Currently, amblyopia can be treated successfully only in children. In this single-blinded, placebo-controlled study, 178 patients (mean age 46.8 years) with amblyopia caused by ametropia (110 eyes) or strabismus (121 eyes) were included. For LLLT, the area of the macula was irradiated through the conjunctiva from 1 cm distance for 30 sec with laser light (780 nm, 292 Hz, 1:1 duty cycle; average power 7.5 mW; spot area 3 mm(2)). The treatment was repeated on average 3.5 times, resulting in a mean total dose of 0.77 J/cm(2). No occlusion was applied, and no additional medication was administered. Best corrected distant visual acuity was determined using Snellen projection optotypes. In 12 patients (12 eyes), the multifocal visual evoked potential (M-VEP) was recorded. A control group of 20 patients (20 eyes) received mock treatment. Visual acuity improved in ∼90% of the eyes treated with LLLT (pamblyopia caused by ametropia and strabismus, respectively. The treatment effect was maintained for at least 6 months. The mean M-VEP amplitude increased by 1207 nV (pamblyopia caused by ametropia or strabismus.

  8. Effect of neodymium:YAG laser capsulotomy on visual function in patients with posterior capsule opacification and good visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yotsukura, Erisa; Torii, Hidemasa; Saiki, Megumi; Negishi, Kazuno; Tsubota, Kazuo

    2016-03-01

    To evaluate the effect of neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) laser capsulotomy on the visual function in patients with posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and good visual acuity. Keio University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Observational case series. Eyes were evaluated that had previous cataract surgery with a clinical diagnosis of PCO requiring Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy regardless of a good corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) (at least 20/20). The CDVA, 10% low contrast visual acuity (LCVA), wavefront aberrations from the 3rd to 6th order, and retinal straylight were measured before and after Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy. The study included 16 eyes of 16 patients (10 men, 6 women; mean age 69.5 years ± 9.3 [SD]). The mean CDVA, LCVA, and straylight after Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy improved significantly (P The root mean square (RMS) of the 3rd Zernike coefficients (S3) and the RMS of the total higher-order aberrations (HOAs) from the 3rd to 6th order decreased significantly after capsulotomy (P The straylight correlated significantly with the total HOAs (r = 0.727, P = .002) and S3 (r = 0.748, P = .001) before capsulotomy. Subjective symptoms resolved after capsulotomy in all cases. Neodymium:YAG laser capsulotomy enabled a significant improvement in visual function even in patients with PCO with good visual acuity. Straylight measurements might be useful to determine the indications for Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy when patients report visual disturbances without decreased visual acuity. Copyright © 2016 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Método computadorizado para medida da acuidade visual A computerized method for visual acuity assessment

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    Patrícia Katayama Kjaer Arippol

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Elaborar e validar teste computadorizado para medida da acuidade visual de escolares. MÉTODOS: Foi elaborado teste computadorizado para determinação da acuidade visual utilizando os padrões das tabelas logarítmicas impressas adotadas na clínica oftalmológica. Foram avaliados 90 alunos da primeira série do ensino básico, oito estudantes do curso de Tecnologia Oftálmica da UNIFESP-EPM e 10 pacientes do ambulatório de Estrabismo do Departamento de Oftalmologia da UNIFESP-EPM. Todos os sujeitos foram avaliados pelo mesmo examinador e submetidos ao exame de acuidade visual monocular, pela tabela logarítmica de optotipos E impressa e do novo teste computadorizado no mesmo momento. Os participantes forneceram os seus consentimentos após esclarecimento. RESULTADOS: As análises estatísticas revelaram correlação excelente (r>0,75 entre os dois métodos, apesar da leve tendência apresentada pelo teste computadorizado em superestimar a acuidade visual quando comparado com o padrão-ouro. O teste computadorizado apresentou sensibilidade de 100% e especificidade de 94%. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados obtidos nos permitem dizer que o teste computadorizado pode ser utilizado como novo recurso para triagem da qualidade visual dos escolares, por ser método rápido, de fácil aplicação, barato, automático e atrativo para as crianças. A automatização desvincula o aplicador da interpretação das respostas dadas pelo aluno testado, garante padronização do procedimento, que favorece as análises de acompanhamento e pode ser realizado por diferentes examinadores. Para melhor compreensão da efetividade do teste como instrumento de triagem visual, seria interessante instituí-lo nas escolas do curso básico, após treinamento dos professores para sua aplicação.PURPOSE: To elaborate and to validate a computerized test for visual acuity screening of school-age children. METHODS: We have created a computerized test for visual acuity

  10. The Microcirculation is Preserved in Emergency Department Low‐acuity Sepsis Patients Without Hypotension

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skibsted, Simon; Filbin, Michael; Hou, Peter

    2014-01-01

    -acuity sepsis patients. The hypothesis was that patients with sepsis, but without hypotension, will demonstrate signs of flow abnormalities compared to noninfected control patients. Methods This was a prospective, observational study in a convenience sample of patients with sepsis and noninfected controls...

  11. Switching from pro re nata to treat-and-extend regimen improves visual acuity in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kvannli, Line; Krohn, Jørgen

    2017-11-01

    To evaluate the visual outcome after transitioning from a pro re nata (PRN) intravitreal injection regimen to a treat-and-extend (TAE) regimen for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A retrospective review of patients who were switched from a PRN regimen with intravitreal injections of bevacizumab, ranibizumab or aflibercept to a TAE regimen. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT) and type of medication used at baseline, at the time of changing treatment regimen and at the end of the study were analysed. Twenty-one eyes of 21 patients met the inclusion criteria. Prior to the switch, the patients received a mean of 13.8 injections (median, 10; range, 3-39 injections) with the PRN regimen for 44 months (range, 3-100 months), which improved the visual acuity in five patients (24%). After a mean of 6.1 injections (median, 5; range, 3-14 injections) with the TAE regimen over 8 months (range, 2-16 months), the visual acuity improved in 12 patients (57%). The improvement in visual acuity during treatment with the TAE regimen was statistically significant (p = 0.005). The proportion of patients with a visual acuity of 0.2 or better was significantly higher after treatment with the TAE regimen than after treatment with the PRN regimen (p = 0.048). No significant differences in CRT were found between the two treatment regimens. Even after prolonged treatment and a high number of intravitreal injections, switching AMD patients from a PRN regimen to a strict TAE regimen significantly improves visual acuity. © 2017 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Infants in Drug Withdrawal: A National Description of Nurse Workload, Infant Acuity, and Parental Needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jessica G; Rogowski, Jeannette A; Schoenauer, Kathryn M; Lake, Eileen T

    Infants in drug withdrawal have complex physiological and behavioral states, requiring intensive nursing care. The study objectives were to describe acuity, parental needs, and nurse workload of infants in drug withdrawal compared with other infants. The design was cross-sectional and involved secondary nurse survey data from 6045 staff nurses from a national sample of 104 neonatal intensive care units. Nurses reported the care of 15 233 infants, 361 (2.4%) of whom were in drug withdrawal. Three-fourths of hospitals had at least 1 infant in drug withdrawal. In these hospitals, the mean number of infants in drug withdrawal was 4.7. Infant acuity was significantly higher among infants in drug withdrawal. Parents of infants in drug withdrawal required significantly more care to address complex social situations (51% vs 12%). The number of infants assigned to nurses with at least 1 infant in withdrawal (mean = 2.69) was significantly higher than typical (mean = 2.51). Given infant acuity and parental needs, policies legislating patient-to-nurse ratios should permit professional discretion on the number of patients to assign nurses caring for infants in drug withdrawal. Managers and charge nurses should consider the demands of caring for infants in drug withdrawal in assignment decisions and provide support and education.

  13. Does Knee Osteoarthritis Differentially Modulate Proprioceptive Acuity in the Frontal and Sagittal Planes of the Knee?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cammarata, Martha L; Schnitzer, Thomas J; Dhaher, Yasin Y

    2012-01-01

    Objective Impaired proprioception may alter joint loading and contribute to the progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Though frontal plane loading at the knee contributes to OA, proprioception and its modulation with OA in this direction have not been examined. The aim of this study was to assess knee proprioceptive acuity in the frontal and sagittal planes in knee OA and healthy participants. We hypothesized that proprioceptive acuity will be decreased in the OA population in both planes of movement. Methods Thirteen persons with knee OA and fourteen healthy age-matched subjects participated. Proprioceptive acuity was assessed in varus, valgus, flexion, and extension using the threshold to detection of passive movement (TDPM). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess differences in TDPM between subject groups and across movement directions. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess the correlation of TDPM between and within planes of movement. Results TDPM was found to be significantly higher (Pplanes of movement were only weakly correlated, especially in the OA group. Conclusions Consistent differences in TDPM between the OA and control groups across all movement directions suggest a global, not direction-specific, reduction in sensation in knee OA patients. PMID:21547895

  14. Effect of ocular transverse chromatic aberration on detection acuity for peripheral vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheney, Frank; Thibos, Larry; Bradley, Arthur

    2015-01-01

    We examined the effect of transverse chromatic aberration (TCA) on detection acuity for white-light interference fringes seen in Maxwellian view at various orientations and locations in the visual field. A circular patch (3.5° diameter, 3.2 log Trolands) of nominally high-contrast fringes was produced on the retina by a commercial instrument (the Lotmar Visometer, Haag Streit) mounted on a gimbal for controlled positioning of the stimulus in the visual field from 0° to 35° eccentricity. Detection acuity for white light fringes for all meridians and eccentricities ≥15° was maximum when fringes were oriented parallel to the visual meridian line. This meridional effect disappeared when a narrow-band filter was used to eliminate TCA. The meridional effect also disappeared when the interferometric stimulator was displaced laterally to align the instrument with the eye's local achromatic axis. Modelling confirmed that TCA is the major factor responsible for white-light meridional bias, with minor contribution arising from higher-order monochromatic aberrations and neural factors. © 2014 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2014 The College of Optometrists.

  15. Comparison on testability of visual acuity, stereo acuity and colour vision tests between children with learning disabilities and children without learning disabilities in government primary schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu Bakar, Nurul Farhana; Chen, Ai-Hong

    2014-02-01

    Children with learning disabilities might have difficulties to communicate effectively and give reliable responses as required in various visual function testing procedures. The purpose of this study was to compare the testability of visual acuity using the modified Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) and Cambridge Crowding Cards, stereo acuity using Lang Stereo test II and Butterfly stereo tests and colour perception using Colour Vision Test Made Easy (CVTME) and Ishihara's Test for Colour Deficiency (Ishihara Test) between children in mainstream classes and children with learning disabilities in special education classes in government primary schools. A total of 100 primary school children (50 children from mainstream classes and 50 children from special education classes) matched in age were recruited in this cross-sectional comparative study. The testability was determined by the percentage of children who were able to give reliable respond as required by the respective tests. 'Unable to test' was defined as inappropriate response or uncooperative despite best efforts of the screener. The testability of the modified ETDRS, Butterfly stereo test and Ishihara test for respective visual function tests were found lower among children in special education classes ( P learning disabilities. Modifications of vision testing procedures are essential for children with learning disabilities.

  16. Analysis of laser photocoagulation with cataract surgery for improvement of visual acuity and macular edema in patients with cataract and diabetic macular edema

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao-Yu Wang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available AIM:To explore laser photocoagulation with cataract surgery for improvement of visual acuity and macular edema in patients with cataract and diabetic macular edema.METHODS:A total of 60 patients(72 eyesfrom January 2014 to July 2015 in our hospital were selected, which all were diagnosed as cataract with diabetic macular edema. According to a random number table method, the patients were divided into observation group and control group, 30 cases(36 eyesin each group. The observation group was treated with combination therapy of laser photocoagulation before cataract surgeries, while the control group with the combination therapy of laser photocoagulation after cataract surgeries. At 2mo after surgeries, some routine examination, such as visual acuity, fundus examination after mydriasis, slit lamp examination, optical coherence tomography(OCTexamination, fluorescence angiography examination(FFAfor retinal blood vessels were applied in all the patients. RESULTS:The visual acuity of the observation group and the control group before treatments was not significantly different(P>0.05. At 2mo after treatments, the visual inspection showed that compared with the visual acuity before treatment, the visual acuity of the two groups were both significantly improved(PPP>0.05. At 2mo after treatments, compared with those before treatments, the macular thickness of two groups were both significantly improved(PPCONCLUSION:The laser photocoagulation before cataract surgery for patients with cataract and diabetic macular edema can significantly improve their visual acuity and macular thickness.

  17. Visual performance in cataract patients with low levels of postoperative astigmatism: full correction versus spherical equivalent correction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lehmann RP

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Robert P Lehmann1, Diane M Houtman21Lehmann Eye Center, Nacogdoches, TX, 2Alcon Research Ltd, Fort Worth, TX, USAPurpose: To evaluate whether visual performance could be improved in pseudophakic subjects by correcting low levels of postoperative astigmatism.Methods: An exploratory, noninterventional study was conducted using subjects who had been implanted with an aspheric intraocular lens and had 0.5–0.75 diopter postoperative astigmatism. Monocular visual performance using full correction was compared with visual performance using spherical equivalent correction. Testing consisted of high- and low-contrast visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and reading acuity and speed using the Radner Reading Charts.Results: Thirty-eight of 40 subjects completed testing. Visual acuities at three contrast levels (100%, 25%, and 9% were significantly better using full correction than when using spherical equivalent correction (all P < 0.001. For contrast sensitivity testing under photopic, mesopic, and mesopic with glare conditions, only one out of twelve outcomes demonstrated a significant improvement with full correction compared with spherical equivalent correction (at six cycles per degree under mesopic without glare conditions, P = 0.046. Mean reading speed was numerically faster with full correction across all print sizes, reaching statistical significance at logarithm of the reading acuity determination (logRAD 0.2, 0.7, and 1.1 (P , 0.05. Statistically significant differences also favored full correction in logRAD score (P = 0.0376, corrected maximum reading speed (P < 0.001, and logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution/logRAD ratio (P < 0.001.Conclusions: In this study of pseudophakic subjects with low levels of postoperative astigmatism, full correction yielded significantly better reading performance and high- and low-contrast visual acuity than spherical equivalent correction, suggesting that cataractous patients may benefit from surgical

  18. Applying cognitive acuity theory to the development and scoring of situational judgment tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leeds, J Peter

    2017-11-09

    The theory of cognitive acuity (TCA) treats the response options within items as signals to be detected and uses psychophysical methods to estimate the respondents' sensitivity to these signals. Such a framework offers new methods to construct and score situational judgment tests (SJT). Leeds (2012) defined cognitive acuity as the capacity to discern correctness and distinguish between correctness differences among simultaneously presented situation-specific response options. In this study, SJT response options were paired in order to offer the respondent a two-option choice. The contrast in correctness valence between the two options determined the magnitude of signal emission, with larger signals portending a higher probability of detection. A logarithmic relation was found between correctness valence contrast (signal stimulus) and its detectability (sensation response). Respondent sensitivity to such signals was measured and found to be related to the criterion variables. The linkage between psychophysics and elemental psychometrics may offer new directions for measurement theory.

  19. Possible role for fundus autofluorescence as a predictive factor for visual acuity recovery after epiretinal membrane surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brito, Pedro N; Gomes, Nuno L; Vieira, Marco P; Faria, Pedro A; Fernandes, Augusto V; Rocha-Sousa, Amândio; Falcão-Reis, Fernando

    2014-02-01

    To study the potential association between fundus autofluorescence, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and visual acuity in patients undergoing surgery because of epiretinal membranes. Prospective, interventional case series including 26 patients submitted to vitrectomy because of symptomatic epiretinal membranes. Preoperative evaluation consisted of a complete ophthalmologic examination, autofluorescence, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Studied variables included foveal autofluorescence (fov.AF), photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction line integrity, external limiting membrane integrity, central foveal thickness, and foveal morphology. All examinations were repeated at the first, third, and sixth postoperative months. The main outcome measures were logarithm of minimal angle resolution visual acuity, fov.AF integrity, and IS/OS integrity. All cases showing a continuous IS/OS line had an intact fov.AF, whereas patients with IS/OS disruption could have either an increased area of foveal hypoautofluorescence or an intact fov.AF, with the latter being associated with IS/OS integrity recovery in follow-up spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging. The only preoperative variables presenting a significant correlation with final visual acuity were baseline visual acuity (P = 0.047) and fov.AF grade (P = 0.023). Recovery of IS/OS line integrity after surgery, in patients with preoperative IS/OS disruption and normal fov.AF, can be explained by the presence of a functional retinal pigment epithelium-photoreceptor complex, supporting normal photoreceptor activity. Autofluorescence imaging provides a functional component to the study of epiretinal membranes, complementing the structural information obtained with optical coherence tomography.

  20. Local edge detectors: a substrate for fine spatial vision at low temporal frequencies in rabbit retina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Wyk, Michiel; Taylor, W Rowland; Vaney, David I

    2006-12-20

    Visual acuity is limited by the size and density of the smallest retinal ganglion cells, which correspond to the midget ganglion cells in primate retina and the beta-ganglion cells in cat retina, both of which have concentric receptive fields that respond at either light-On or light-Off. In contrast, the smallest ganglion cells in the rabbit retina are the local edge detectors (LEDs), which respond to spot illumination at both light-On and light-Off. However, the LEDs do not predominate in the rabbit retina and the question arises, what role do they play in fine spatial vision? We studied the morphology and physiology of LEDs in the isolated rabbit retina and examined how their response properties are shaped by the excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Although the LEDs comprise only approximately 15% of the ganglion cells, neighboring LEDs are separated by 30-40 microm on the visual streak, which is sufficient to account for the grating acuity of the rabbit. The spatial and temporal receptive-field properties of LEDs are generated by distinct inhibitory mechanisms. The strong inhibitory surround acts presynaptically to suppress both the excitation and the inhibition elicited by center stimulation. The temporal properties, characterized by sluggish onset, sustained firing, and low bandwidth, are mediated by the temporal properties of the bipolar cells and by postsynaptic interactions between the excitatory and inhibitory inputs. We propose that the LEDs signal fine spatial detail during visual fixation, when high temporal frequencies are minimal.

  1. Visual acuity in pelagic fishes and mollusks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagnon, Yakir L; Sutton, Tracey T; Johnsen, Sönke

    2013-11-01

    In the sea, visual scenes change dramatically with depth. At shallow and moderate depths (cephalopods, and a gastropod using a custom-built apparatus. The hatchetfishes (Argyropelecus aculeatus and Sternoptyx diaphana) and the barrel-eye (Opisthoproctus soleatus) were found to have the best lenses, which may allow them to break the counterillumination camouflage of their prey. The heteropod lens had unidirectional aberrations that matched its ribbon-shaped retina. We also found that lens angular resolution increased with depth. Due to a similar trend in the angular separation between adjacent ganglion cells in the retinas of fishes, the perceived visual contrast at the retinal cutoff frequency was constant with depth. The increase in acuity with depth allows the predators to focus all the available light bioluminescent prey animals emit and detect their next meal. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. High-Acuity Information Is Retained through the Cortical Visual Hierarchy of Primates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chelazzi, Leonardo; Santandrea, Elisa

    2018-04-18

    Vision requires perception of both coarse layout and fine details of objects. In this issue of Neuron, Lu et al. (2018) describe a possible basis for the latter: neuronal clusters in area V4 coding high-acuity information, despite the tendency along the visual hierarchy to generate global representations of objects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. The advanced glaucoma intervention study, 6: effect of cataract on visual field and visual acuity. The AGIS Investigators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-12-01

    To investigate the effect of cataract on visual function and the role of cataract in explaining a race-treatment interaction in outcomes of glaucoma surgery. The Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) enrolled 332 black patients (451 eyes) and 249 white patients (325 eyes) with advanced glaucoma. Eyes were randomly assigned to an argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT)-trabeculectomy-trabeculectomy sequence or a trabeculectomy-ALT-trabeculectomy sequence. From the AGIS experience with cataract surgery during follow-up, we estimated the expected change in visual function scores from before cataract surgery to after cataract surgery. Then, for eyes with cataract not removed, we used these estimates of expected change to adjust visual function scores for the presumed effects of cataract. In turn, we used the adjusted scores to obtain cataract-adjusted main outcome measures. Average percent of eyes with decrease of visual field (APDVF) and average percent of eyes with decrease of visual acuity (APDVA). Within the 2 months before cataract surgery, visual acuity was better in eyes of white patients than of black patients by an average of approximately 2 lines on the visual acuity test chart. Cataract surgery improved visual acuity and visual field defect scores, with the amounts of improvement greater when preoperative visual acuity was lower. Adjustments for cataract brought about the following relative reductions: for APDVF, a relative reduction of 5% to 11% in black patients and 9% to 11% in white patients; for APDVA, a relative reduction of 45% to 49% in black patients and 31% to 38% in white patients; and for the APDVF and APDVA race-treatment interactions, relative reductions of 25% and 45%, respectively. On average, visual function scores improved after cataract surgery. The findings of reduced race-treatment interactions after adjustment for cataract do not alter our earlier conclusion that the AGIS 7-year results support use of the ALT

  4. Night-shift work and risk of compromised visual acuity among the workers in an electronics manufacturing company.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yu-Cheng; Ho, Kuo-Jung

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate the association between night-shift work exposure and visual health, this cross-sectional study utilized visual acuity, a surrogate measure for visual function, as a parameter, and performed an analysis comparing visual acuity between daytime and nighttime employees in an electronics manufacturing company. Data of personal histories, occupational records, physical examinations and blood tests was obtained from the electronic health records of workers. The total of 8280 workers including 3098 women and 5182 men, wearing their own daily used eyeglasses, were included in the final analysis. The mean age of the sample population was 34.7 years old (standard deviation = 5.4 years). All workers were divided into 3 work categories - consistent daytime worker (CDW), day-shift worker (DSW) and night-shift worker (NSW). The check-up results of glasses-corrected visual acuity (c-VA) were utilized to classify individuals as good (≥ 1.2, both eyes) and inadequate (electronics manufacturing company. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(1):71-79. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

  5. The Prevalence of Visual Acuity Impairment among School Children at Arada Subcity Primary Schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darge, Haile Fentahun; Shibru, Getahun; Mulugeta, Abiy; Dagnachew, Yinebeb Mezgebu

    2017-01-01

    Visual impairment and blindness are major public health problems in developing countries where there is no enough health-care service. To determine the prevalence of visual impairment among school children. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted between 15 June 2015 and 30 November 2015 at Arada subcity primary schools, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Two schools were selected randomly, and 378 students were screened from grades 1 to 8 using systematic random sampling method. Snellen chart was used for visual acuity test. Students who had visual acuity of ≤6/12 were further examined by an ophthalmologist to diagnose the reason for low vision. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. A total of 378 students were screened, and 192 (50.8%) were females and the remaining 186 (49.2%) were males. The prevalence of visual impairment (VA) of ≤6/12 on either eye was 5.8%, VA visual acuity impairment. The prevalence of visual impairment among school children in the study area was 5.8% and school screening is recommended.

  6. Refraction and visual acuity in a national Danish cohort of 4-year-old children of extremely preterm delivery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fledelius, Hans C; Bangsgaard, Regitze; Slidsborg, Carina

    2015-01-01

    PURPOSE: A recent threefold increase in laser treatment for advanced retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) triggered a nationwide preschool ophthalmic and developmental status among extremely preterm survivors. Here, we discuss refraction and visual acuity. METHODS: Survivors (n = 178) from a national...... was 0.1 in FT and 0.2 in PT, in Snellen equivalents 0.8 and 0.63. Snellen acuity ≤0.5 occurred across the ROP subgroups, but mainly in those with at least ROP stage 3. Two children had low vision. CONCLUSIONS: The overall fair outcome for refraction and function is in accordance with other recent...

  7. Taste acuity, plasma zinc levels, and weight loss during radiotherapy: a study of relationships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolze, M.S.; Fosmire, G.J.; Stryker, J.A.; Chung, C.K.; Flipse, B.G.

    1982-01-01

    Thirty-five patients who were to undergo radiotherapy and 13 normal subjects were evaluated with taste questionnaires, taste acuity tests, and plasma zinc analyses. The studies were repeated on the patients in the fifth week of radiotherapy. The mean taste thresholds for NaCl (salt), sucrose (sweet), HCl (sour), and urea (bitter) were elevated and the plasma zinc levels were lower (77.2 +/- 11.8 vs. 94.6 +/- 30.1 g/100 ml, p . 0.055) for the patients than for the controls. However, there was not a significant correlation between the taste thresholds and plasma zinc levels at any time. The mean weight loss experienced by the 14 patients who reported subjective taste alteration in the fifth week was 3.1 kg versus 0.1 kg (p . 0.005) for those who did not report taste alteration. The data suggest that alterations in taste acuity, but not plasma zinc levels, are associated with weight loss during radiotherapy

  8. Taste acuity, plasma zinc levels, and weight loss during radiotherapy: a study of relationships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolze, M.S.; Fosmire, G.J.; Stryker, J.A.; Chung, C.K.; Flipse, B.G.

    1982-01-01

    Thirty-five patients who were to undergo radiotherapy and 13 normal subjects were evaluated with taste questionnaires, taste acuity tests, and plasma zinc analyses. The studies were repeated on the patients in the fifth week of radiotherapy. The mean taste thresholds for NaCl (salt), sucrose (sweet), HCl (sour), and urea (bitter) were elevated and the plasma zinc levels were lower (77.2 +/- 11.8 vs. 94.6 +/- 30.1 g/100 ml, p = 0.055) for the patients than for the controls. However, there was not a significant correlation between the taste thresholds and plasma zinc levels at any time. The mean weight loss experienced by the 14 patients who reported subjective taste alteration in the fifth week was 3.1 kg versus 0.1 kg (p = 0.005) for those who did not report taste alteration. The data suggest that alterations in taste acuity, but not plasma zinc levels, are associated with weight loss during radiotherapy

  9. PROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF VISUAL ACUITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN STANDARD EARLY TREATMENT DIABETIC RETINOPATHY STUDY CHART AND A HANDHELD EQUIVALENT IN EYES WITH RETINAL PATHOLOGY.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahimy, Ehsan; Reddy, Sahitya; DeCroos, Francis Char; Khan, M Ali; Boyer, David S; Gupta, Omesh P; Regillo, Carl D; Haller, Julia A

    2015-08-01

    To evaluate the visual acuity agreement between a standard back-illuminated Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart and a handheld internally illuminated ETDRS chart. Two-center prospective study. Seventy patients (134 eyes) with retinal pathology were enrolled between October 2012 and August 2013. Visual acuity was measured using both the ETDRS chart and the handheld device by masked independent examiners after best protocol refraction. Examination was performed in the same room under identical illumination and testing conditions. The mean number of letters seen was 63.0 (standard deviation: 19.8 letters) and 61.2 letters (standard deviation: 19.1 letters) for the ETDRS chart and handheld device, respectively. Mean difference per eye between the ETDRS and handheld device was 1.8 letters. A correlation coefficient (r) of 0.95 demonstrated a positive linear correlation between ETDRS chart and handheld device measured acuities. Intraclass correlation coefficient was performed to assess the reproducibility of the measurements made by different observers measuring the same quantity and was calculated to be 0.95 (95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.96). Agreement was independent of retinal disease. The strong correlation between measured visual acuity using the ETDRS and handheld equivalent suggests that they may be used interchangeably, with accurate measurements. Potential benefits of this device include convenience and portability, as well as the ability to assess ETDRS visual acuity without a dedicated testing lane.

  10. Macular edema in Asian Indian premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity: Impact on visual acuity and refractive status after 1-year

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anand Vinekar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To report the impact of transient, self-resolving, untreated "macular edema" detected on spectral domain optical coherence tomography in Asian Indian premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP on visual acuity (VA and refraction at 1-year of corrected age. Materials and Methods: Visual acuity and refraction of 11 infants with bilateral macular edema (Group A was compared with gestational age-matched 16 infants with ROP without edema (Group B and 17 preterms infants without ROP and without edema (Group C at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of corrected age using Teller Acuity Cards and cycloplegic retinoscopy. Sub-group analysis of the previously described pattern A and B macular edema was performed. Results: Visual acuity was lower in infants with macular edema compared with the other two control groups throughout the study period, but statistically significant only at 3 months. Visual improvement in these infants was highest between the 3 rd and 6 th month and plateaued by the end of the 1 st year with acuity comparable to the other two groups. The edema cohort was more hyperopic compared to the other two groups between 3 and 12 months of age. Pattern A edema had worse VA compared to pattern B, although not statistically significant. Conclusion: Macular edema, although transient, caused reduced VA as early as 3 months of corrected age in Asian Indian premature infants weighing <2000 g at birth. The higher hyperopia in these infants is possibly due to visual disturbances caused at a critical time of fovealization. We hypothesize a recovery and feedback mechanism based on the principles of active emmetropization to explain our findings.

  11. Examination of factors affecting gait properties in healthy older adults: focusing on knee extension strength, visual acuity, and knee joint pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demura, Tomohiro; Demura, Shin-ichi; Uchiyama, Masanobu; Sugiura, Hiroki

    2014-01-01

    Gait properties change with age because of a decrease in lower limb strength and visual acuity or knee joint disorders. Gait changes commonly result from these combined factors. This study aimed to examine the effects of knee extension strength, visual acuity, and knee joint pain on gait properties of for 181 healthy female older adults (age: 76.1 (5.7) years). Walking speed, cadence, stance time, swing time, double support time, step length, step width, walking angle, and toe angle were selected as gait parameters. Knee extension strength was measured by isometric dynamometry; and decreased visual acuity and knee joint pain were evaluated by subjective judgment whether or not such factors created a hindrance during walking. Among older adults without vision problems and knee joint pain that affected walking, those with superior knee extension strength had significantly greater walking speed and step length than those with inferior knee extension strength (P pain in both knees showed slower walking speed and longer stance time and double support time. A decrease of knee extension strength and visual acuity and knee joint pain are factors affecting gait in the female older adults. Decreased knee extension strength and knee joint pain mainly affect respective distance and time parameters of the gait.

  12. Temporary marked impairment of visual acuity in a case of intraocular malignant lymphoma during radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyao, Yoko; Tada, Rei; Koizumi, Noriko; Yamada, Hideaki; Kinoshita, Shigeru; Ikeda, Tsunehiko

    2000-01-01

    A 56-year-old female was referred to us for blurring of both eyes since 2 years before. She had been diagnosed as chronic uveitis and responded poorly to systemic and topical corticosteroid. Her corrected visual acuity was 0.8 right and 0.5 left. Systemic studies, including magnetic resonance imaging and gadolinium scintigraphy, were negative. Vitreous biopsy led to the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma originating from the eye. Seven days after initiation of radiation at the daily doses of 2 Gy, massive subretinal infiltration developed in her right eye forming a niveau. Systemic prednisolone induced resolution of exudate with improved visual acuity to 1.0 13 days later. This cases illustrates that radiation may induce temporary aggravation of intraocular malignant lymphoma and that it may undergo resolution following systemic corticosteroid. (author)

  13. Using patient acuity data to manage patient care outcomes and patient care costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Slyck, A; Johnson, K R

    2001-01-01

    This article describes actual reported uses for patient acuity data that go beyond historical uses in determining staffing allocations. These expanded uses include managing patient care outcomes and health care costs. The article offers the patient care executive examples of how objective, valid, and reliable data are used to drive approaches to effectively influence decision making in an increasingly competitive health care environment.

  14. The two sides of sensory-cognitive interactions: effects of age, hearing acuity, and working memory span on sentence comprehension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renee eDeCaro

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Reduced hearing acuity is among the most prevalent of chronic medical conditions among older adults. An experiment is reported in which comprehension of spoken sentences was tested for older adults with good hearing acuity or with a mild-to-moderate hearing loss, and young adults with age-normal hearing. Comprehension was measured by participants’ ability to determine of the agent of an action in sentences that expressed this relation with a syntactically less complex subject-relative construction or a syntactically more complex object-relative construction. Agency determination was further challenged by inserting a prepositional phrase into sentences between the person performing an action and the action being performed. As a control, prepositional phrases of equivalent length were also inserted into sentences in a non-disruptive position. Effects on sentence comprehension of age, hearing acuity, prepositional phrase placement and sound level of stimulus presentations appeared only for comprehension of sentences with the more syntactically complex object-relative structures. Working memory as tested by reading span scores accounted for a significant amount of the variance in comprehension accuracy. Once working memory capacity and hearing acuity were taken into account, chronological age among the older adults contributed no further variance to comprehension accuracy. Results are discussed in terms of the positive and negative effects of sensory-cognitive interactions in comprehension of spoken sentences and lend support to a framework in which domain-general executive resources, notably verbal working memory, play a role in both linguistic and perceptual processing.

  15. Lawn mower injuries as a cause of serious visual acuity impairment – Case reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monika Jasielska

    2017-05-01

    Lawn mower induced eye injuries are a significant cause of serious visual acuity impairment or blindness. The presented study shows that lawn mower eye injuries are still a therapeutic, social and economic problem, yet are very preventable with proper eye protection and patients’ education. Current prevention strategies are inadequate, and therefore should be updated.

  16. Assessing physician leadership styles: application of the situational leadership model to transitions in patient acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skog, Alexander; Peyre, Sarah E; Pozner, Charles N; Thorndike, Mary; Hicks, Gloria; Dellaripa, Paul F

    2012-01-01

    The situational leadership model suggests that an effective leader adapts leadership style depending on the followers' level of competency. We assessed the applicability and reliability of the situational leadership model when observing residents in simulated hospital floor-based scenarios. Resident teams engaged in clinical simulated scenarios. Video recordings were divided into clips based on Emergency Severity Index v4 acuity scores. Situational leadership styles were identified in clips by two physicians. Interrater reliability was determined through descriptive statistical data analysis. There were 114 participants recorded in 20 sessions, and 109 clips were reviewed and scored. There was a high level of interrater reliability (weighted kappa r = .81) supporting situational leadership model's applicability to medical teams. A suggestive correlation was found between frequency of changes in leadership style and the ability to effectively lead a medical team. The situational leadership model represents a unique tool to assess medical leadership performance in the context of acuity changes.

  17. Effect of magnetic resonance imaging on near visual acuity Efecto de la resonancia magnética sobre la agudeza visual cercana

    OpenAIRE

    José David Paulo Trujillo; Juan Carlos Vergara; Jorge Hernando Donado Gómez; Luz Marina Agudelo; Mercedes Cecilia Molina Betancur; Andrés Ignacio Arbeláez Medina; Carlos Andrés Molina Betancur

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the variation of near visual acuity, in patients exposed during short periods to intense magnetic fields in studies of magnetic resonance imaging. Methods: Descriptive study of a case series that included 40 healthy and literate individuals older than 40 years, nine of them men, submitted to a procedure of head and neck magnetic resonance imaging; all of them had near visual acuity better than 20/200 without glasses, and were not under the effects of ansiolytic medicatio...

  18. Experimental validation of a Bayesian model of visual acuity.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Dalimier, Eugénie

    2009-01-01

    Based on standard procedures used in optometry clinics, we compare measurements of visual acuity for 10 subjects (11 eyes tested) in the presence of natural ocular aberrations and different degrees of induced defocus, with the predictions given by a Bayesian model customized with aberrometric data of the eye. The absolute predictions of the model, without any adjustment, show good agreement with the experimental data, in terms of correlation and absolute error. The efficiency of the model is discussed in comparison with image quality metrics and other customized visual process models. An analysis of the importance and customization of each stage of the model is also given; it stresses the potential high predictive power from precise modeling of ocular and neural transfer functions.

  19. Using On-scene EMS Responders' Assessment and Electronic Patient Care Records to Evaluate the Suitability of EMD-triaged, Low-acuity Calls for Secondary Nurse Triage in 911 Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Greg; Clawson, Jeff; Fivaz, Mark C; McQueen, Jennie; Gardett, Marie I; Schultz, Bryon; Youngquist, Scott; Olola, Christopher H O

    2016-02-01

    Using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) - a systematic 911 triage process - to identify a large subset of low-acuity patients for secondary nurse triage in the 911 center is a largely unstudied practice in North America. This study examines the ALPHA-level subset of low-acuity patients in the MPDS to determine the suitability of these patients for secondary triage by evaluating vital signs and necessity of lights-and-siren transport, as determined by attending Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulance crews. The primary objective of this study was to determine the clinical status of MPDS ALPHA-level (low-acuity) patients, as determined by on-scene EMS crews' patient care records, in two US agencies. A secondary objective was to determine which ALPHA-level codes are suitable candidates for secondary triage by a trained Emergency Communication Nurse (ECN). In this retrospective study, one full year (2013) of both dispatch data and EMS patient records data, associated with all calls coded at the ALPHA-level (low-acuity) in the dispatch protocol, were collected. The primary outcome measure was the number and percentage of ALPHA-level codes categorized as low-acuity, moderate-acuity, high-acuity, and critical using four common vital signs to assign these categories: systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulse rate (PR), oxygen saturation (SpO2), and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS). Vital sign data were obtained from ambulance crew electronic patient care records (ePCRs). The secondary endpoint was the number and percentage of ALPHA-level codes that received a "hot" (lights-and-siren) transport. Out of 19,300 cases, 16,763 (86.9%) were included in the final analysis, after excluding cases from health care providers and those with missing data. Of those, 89% of all cases did not have even one vital sign indicator of unstable patient status (high or critical vital sign). Of all cases, only 1.1% were transported lights-and-siren. With the exception of the low-acuity, ALPHA

  20. Post-treatment visual acuity in patients treated with episcleral plaque therapy for choroidal melanoma: Dose and dose rate effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, Robert; Gore, Elizabeth; Mieler, William; Gillin, Michael; Albano, Katherine; Erickson, Beth

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the relationship between the long-term visual function and the dose and dose rates delivered to critical ocular structures in patients with choroidal melanoma treated with 125 I episcleral plaque radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: From 1987 to 1993, 63 patients underwent 125 I episcleral plaque application for the treatment of choroidal melanoma. Mean tumor height was 4.6 mm (range 1.7-8.3 mm). Plaques utilized were of COMS design. Doses and dose rates at the tumor apex, macula, and optic disc were obtained. Visual acuity data prior to and after plaque application was available for 52 patients. 9 patients were excluded from analysis secondary to co-morbidities or disease progression. 43 records were scored to assess if a decrease in visual acuity of ≥ 2 lines on a standard Snellen eye chart had occurred. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square tests of significance. Results: Of the 63 total patients, 59 (93.7%) were alive at a median follow-up of 36 months. Local progression occurred in (7(63)) (11.1%). Median dose and dose rate to the tumor apex were 90 Gy and 97.2 cGy/hr, respectively. Of the 43 patients with post-treatment visual acuity analysis, 28 (65.1%) experienced visual loss of ≥ 2 lines on a standard eye chart. Median time to altered visual acuity was 20 months. Median dose and dose rates to the macula in patients with a significant visual loss were 123.3 Gy and 122.5 cGy/hr, respectively, compared with 38 Gy and 51.9 cGy/hr in those without notable visual change. These differences reached statistical significance at a dose and dose rate to the macula of 82.0 Gy (p 125 I plaque brachytherapy for choroidal melanoma experienced favorable tumor control, but with a measurable incidence of decreased visual acuity. Both total dose and dose rates to the macula and optic disc correlated strongly with post-treatment visual outcome. This information may be valuable in decisions about the dose and dose rates used to treat

  1. Post-treatment visual acuity in patients treated with episcleral plaque therapy for choroidal melanoma: dose and dose rate effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, Robert; Gore, Elizabeth; Mieler, William; Murray, Kevin; Gillin, Michael; Albano, Katherine; Erickson, Beth

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the relationship between the long-term visual function and the dose and dose rates delivered to critical ocular structures in patients with choroidal melanoma treated with 125 I episcleral plaque radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: From 1987 to 1994, 63 patients underwent 125 I episcleral plaque application for the treatment of choroidal melanoma. Mean tumor height was 4.6 mm (range 1.7-8.3 mm). Plaques utilized were of COMS design. Doses and dose rates at the tumor apex, macula, and optic disc were obtained. Visual acuity data prior to and after plaque application was available for 52 patients. Nine patients were excluded from analysis secondary to co-morbidities or disease progression. Forty-three records were scored to assess if a decrease in visual acuity of ≥ 2 lines on a standard Snellen eye chart had occurred. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square tests of significance. Results: Of the 63 total patients, 59 (93.7%) were alive at a median follow-up of 36 months. Local progression occurred in 7/63 (11.1%). Median dose and dose rate to the tumor apex were 90 Gy and 97.2 cGy/hr, respectively. Of the 43 patients with post-treatment visual acuity analysis, 28 (65.1%) experienced visual loss of ≥ 2 lines on a standard eye chart. Median time to altered visual acuity was 20 months. Median dose and dose rates to the macula in patients with a significant visual loss were 123.3 Gy and 122.5 cGy/hr, respectively, compared with 38 Gy and 51.9 cGy/hr in those without notable visual change. These differences reached statistical significance at a dose and dose rate to the macula of 82.0 Gy (p 125 I plaque brachytherapy for choroidal melanoma experienced favorable tumor control, but with a measurable incidence of decreased visual acuity. Both total dose and dose rates to the macula and optic disc correlated strongly with post-treatment visual outcome. This information may be valuable in decisions about the dose and dose rates used to

  2. CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF LENS INDUCED GLAUCOMA: STUDY OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, DURATION OF SYMPTOMS, INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE AND VISUAL ACUITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venkataratnam

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Lens Induced Glaucoma is a common cause of ocular morbidity. OBJECTIVES: Our study was to know the Epidemiological factors, Duration of Symptoms, Visual Acuity and Intraocular Pressure in the clinical Presentation of Lens Induced Glaucoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS : This w as a tertiary hospital based prospective study in the department of Glaucoma, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital and Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad over a period from March 2015 to August 2015. 50 Patients clinically diagnosed as Lens Induced Glaucoma (LIG were studied with the data of Age, Sex, literacy, Laterality and Rural / Urban status with the duration of symptoms, Intraocular pressure and Visual Acuity. The data was analyzed by simple statistical methods. RESULT S: 50 patients, clinically diagnosed as Lens Induced Glaucoma (LIG were studied. Age group distribution was 1(2.0% in 40 - 50yrs, 13 ( 26.0% in >50 - 60yrs, 26(52.0% in >60 - 70yrs and 10(20.0% in > 70 yrs. Sex distribution was 23(46.0% of Males and 27(54.0% of Females. Urban / Rural status was 15(30.0% of Urban and 35(70.0% of Rural. Literacy status was 7(14.0% of Literate and 43(86.0% of Illiterate. Laterality was RE in 24(48.0% and LE in 26(52.0%. Duration of the presenting symptoms before re porting to the Hospital was 12.0% in 2wks. Intraocular pressure (IOP in mm of Hg showed no case (0.0% in 20 – 40, 27(54.0% in >40 - 60 and 5(10.0% >60 wit h the Mean IOP of 42.12 mm of Hg. Visual Acuity (VA was PL +ve in 24(48.0 and HM - 3/60. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing age, female gender, rural, illiterate, and delayed reporting to the hospital after the pre senting symptoms were the common risk factors with increased Intraocular pressure and poor visual acuity in the clinical presentation of Lens induced Glaucoma.

  3. Comparison of visual acuity in reduced lumination and facility of ocular accommodation in table tennis champions and non- players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jafarzadehpur, Ebrahim; Yarigholi, Mohammad R

    2004-03-01

    A table tennis player should fixate at different distances; track the objects with different speed, and in different visual environment. Their visual skills must be well developed for these capabilities. Therefore, visual acuity in reduced lumination and facility of ocular accommodation those are two criteria for visual skills have been compared in table tennis players and normal non-players. Twenty-nine young table tennis champions and 29 normal matched non-players (did not take part in any racket sports game) were evaluated. Basic visual and eye examinations were done for both of them. Normal results in basic examination were fundamental requirement for all the subjects. +/-2.00 sphere lenses for accommodation facility are used. An electrical current regulator changed the output light intensity of a conventional chart projector (Topcon). Light intensity decreased to 10 cd·m(-2) and visual acuity tested. In comparison of visual acuity in reduced lumination and facility of ocular accommodation in table tennis champions and non-players there are significant differences (p reflecting a better perceptual system of experts to the constraints encountered during table tennis and its use in practical settings for evaluating athletes or detecting sport talents. However some visual and perceptual training that usually used in orthoptics can be used for novice table tennis player to improve their abilities. Key PointsThat the ability of a champion depends on many sensory, motor and perceptual factors.Visual factors such as facility of accommodation and visual acuity in reduced lumination should be considered in table tennis players.Visual training may be useful for novice and also for experts.

  4. A study of static, kinetic, and dynamic visual acuity in 102 Japanese professional baseball players

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hoshina K

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Kohji Hoshina,1 Yuichi Tagami,2 Osamu Mimura,3 Hiroshi Edagawa,4 Masao Matsubara,5 Teiichi Nakayama6 1Hoshina Eye Clinic, Nishinomiya, Japan; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Kobe Century Memorial Hospital, Kobe, Japan; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan; 4Edagawa Eye Clinic, Tokyo, Japan; 5Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Medical Center East, Tokyo, Japan; 6Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan Background: It seemed that visual functions might have some effects on the performance of baseball players. We measured static, kinetic, and dynamic visual acuity (SVA, KVA, and DVA, respectively of Japanese professional baseball players to ascertain whether there would be any difference in SVA, KVA, and DVA among player groups stratified according to their performance level. Methods: The subjects were 102 male professional baseball players with a mean age of 26 years who were members of a Japanese professional baseball club from 2000 to 2009. They were stratified into three groups according to their performance level: A (players who were on the roster of the top-level team all the time throughout the study period, B (players who were on the roster of the top-level team sometimes but not all the time, and C (players who were never on the roster of the top-level team. They were interviewed for the use of corrective visual aids, and examined for SVA, KVA, and DVA. The measurements of these parameters were compared among groups A, B, and C. We also investigated and analyzed the association of KVA or DVA with player position (pitchers or fielders and with hand dominance for batting. KVA was compared between the pitchers and the fielders because they each require different playing skills. DVA was compared between the right-handed and the left-handed batters. Results: There was no statistically significant difference among groups A, B, and C. There was a statistically significant difference in

  5. Testbed for High-Acuity Imaging and Stable Photometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregory, James

    This proposal from MIT Lincoln Laboratory (LL) accompanies the NASA/APRA proposal enti-tled THAI-SPICE: Testbed for High-Acuity Imaging - Stable Photometry and Image-Motion Compensa-tion Experiment (submitted by Eliot Young, Southwest Research Institute). The goal of the THAI-SPICE project is to demonstrate three technologies that will help low-cost balloon-borne telescopes achieve diffraction-limited imaging: stable pointing, passive thermal stabilization and in-flight monitoring of the wave front error. This MIT LL proposal supplies a key element of the pointing stabilization component of THAI-SPICE: an electronic camera based on an orthogonaltransfer charge-coupled device (OTCCD). OTCCD cameras have been demonstrated with charge-transfer efficiencies >0.99999, noise of 90%. In addition to supplying a camera with an OTCCD detector, MIT LL will help with integration and testing of the OTCCD with the THAI-SPICE payload’s guide camera.

  6. Wound center facility billing: A retrospective analysis of time, wound size, and acuity scoring for determining facility level of service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fife, Caroline E; Walker, David; Farrow, Wade; Otto, Gordon

    2007-01-01

    Outpatient wound center facility reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries can be a challenge to determine and obtain. To compare methods of calculating facility service levels for outpatient wound centers and to demonstrate the advantages of an acuity-based billing system (one that incorporates components of facility work that is non-reimbursable by procedure codes and that represents an activity-based costing approach to medical billing), a retrospective study of 5,098 patient encounters contained in a wound care-specific electronic medical record database was conducted. Approximately 500 patient visits to the outpatient wound center of a Texas regional hospital between April 2003 and November 2004 were categorized by service level in documentation and facility management software. Visits previously billed using a time-based system were compared to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' proposed three-tiered wound size-based system. The time-based system also was compared to an acuity-based scoring system. The Pearson correlation coefficient between billed level of service by time and estimated level of service by acuity was 0.442 and the majority of follow-up visits were billed as Level 3 and above (on a time level of 1 to 5) , confirming that time is not a surrogate for actual work performed. Wound size also was found to be unrelated to service level (Pearson correlation = 0.017) and 97% of wound areas were billings than extremes; no other method produced this distribution. Hospital-based outpatient wound centers should develop, review, and refine acuity score-based models on which to determine billed level of service.

  7. Cultivating Perspectival Acuity: The Value and Cost of Integrating Theory, Craft, Research, and Practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joe Manganelli

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents reflections on integrating theory, craft, research, and practice to improve the accuracy and resiliency of each. The reflections build toward a set of statements about the value and the cost of integrating theory, craft, research, and practice. Specifically, the authors offer the Privileged Work / Non-Privileged Work Framework and concept of cultivating Perspectival Acuity.

  8. Artificial Intelligence Can Predict Daily Trauma Volume and Average Acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stonko, David P; Dennis, Bradley M; Betzold, Richard D; Peetz, Allan B; Gunter, Oliver L; Guillamondegui, Oscar D

    2018-04-19

    The goal of this study was to integrate temporal and weather data in order to create an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict trauma volume, the number of emergent operative cases, and average daily acuity at a level 1 trauma center. Trauma admission data from TRACS and weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was collected for all adult trauma patients from July 2013-June 2016. The ANN was constructed using temporal (time, day of week), and weather factors (daily high, active precipitation) to predict four points of daily trauma activity: number of traumas, number of penetrating traumas, average ISS, and number of immediate OR cases per day. We trained a two-layer feed-forward network with 10 sigmoid hidden neurons via the Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation algorithm, and performed k-fold cross validation and accuracy calculations on 100 randomly generated partitions. 10,612 patients over 1,096 days were identified. The ANN accurately predicted the daily trauma distribution in terms of number of traumas, number of penetrating traumas, number of OR cases, and average daily ISS (combined training correlation coefficient r = 0.9018+/-0.002; validation r = 0.8899+/- 0.005; testing r = 0.8940+/-0.006). We were able to successfully predict trauma and emergent operative volume, and acuity using an ANN by integrating local weather and trauma admission data from a level 1 center. As an example, for June 30, 2016, it predicted 9.93 traumas (actual: 10), and a mean ISS score of 15.99 (actual: 13.12); see figure 3. This may prove useful for predicting trauma needs across the system and hospital administration when allocating limited resources. Level III STUDY TYPE: Prognostic/Epidemiological.

  9. The (lack of) relation between straylight and visual acuity. Two domains of the point-spread-function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Berg, Thomas J T P

    2017-01-01

    PURPOSE: The effect of cataract and other media opacities on functional vision is typically assessed clinically using visual acuity. In both clinical and basic research, straylight (the functional result of light scattering in the eye) is commonly measured. The purpose of the present study was to

  10. The Prevalence of Visual Acuity Impairment among School Children at Arada Subcity Primary Schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haile Fentahun Darge

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Visual impairment and blindness are major public health problems in developing countries where there is no enough health-care service. Objective. To determine the prevalence of visual impairment among school children. Materials and Methods. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted between 15 June 2015 and 30 November 2015 at Arada subcity primary schools, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Two schools were selected randomly, and 378 students were screened from grades 1 to 8 using systematic random sampling method. Snellen chart was used for visual acuity test. Students who had visual acuity of ≤6/12 were further examined by an ophthalmologist to diagnose the reason for low vision. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results. A total of 378 students were screened, and 192 (50.8% were females and the remaining 186 (49.2% were males. The prevalence of visual impairment (VA of ≤6/12 on either eye was 5.8%, VA < 6/18 on either eye was 1.1%, and VA < 6/18 on the better eye was 0.53%. In this study, color blindness [OR: 19.65, 95% CI (6.01–64.33] was significantly associated with visual acuity impairment. Conclusion. The prevalence of visual impairment among school children in the study area was 5.8% and school screening is recommended.

  11. Effects of Milk vs Dark Chocolate Consumption on Visual Acuity and Contrast Sensitivity Within 2 Hours: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabin, Jeff C; Karunathilake, Nirmani; Patrizi, Korey

    2018-04-26

    Consumption of dark chocolate can improve blood flow, mood, and cognition in the short term, but little is known about the possible effects of dark chocolate on visual performance. To compare the short-term effects of consumption of dark chocolate with those of milk chocolate on visual acuity and large- and small-letter contrast sensitivity. A randomized, single-masked crossover design was used to assess short-term visual performance after consumption of a dark or a milk chocolate bar. Thirty participants without pathologic eye disease each consumed dark and milk chocolate in separate sessions, and within-participant paired comparisons were used to assess outcomes. Testing was conducted at the Rosenberg School of Optometry from June 25 to August 15, 2017. Visual acuity (in logMAR units) and large- and small-letter contrast sensitivity (in the log of the inverse of the minimum detectable contrast [logCS units]) were measured 1.75 hours after consumption of dark and milk chocolate bars. Among the 30 participants (9 men and 21 women; mean [SD] age, 26 [5] years), small-letter contrast sensitivity was significantly higher after consumption of dark chocolate (mean [SE], 1.45 [0.04] logCS) vs milk chocolate (mean [SE], 1.30 [0.05] logCS; mean improvement, 0.15 logCS [95% CI, 0.08-0.22 logCS]; P chocolate (mean [SE], 2.05 [0.02] logCS) vs milk chocolate (mean [SE], 2.00 [0.02] logCS; mean improvement, 0.05 logCS [95% CI, 0.00-0.10 logCS]; P = .07). Visual acuity improved slightly after consumption of dark chocolate (mean [SE], -0.22 [0.01] logMAR; visual acuity, approximately 20/12) and milk chocolate (mean [SE], -0.18 [0.01] logMAR; visual acuity, approximately 20/15; mean improvement, 0.04 logMAR [95% CI, 0.02-0.06 logMAR]; P = .05). Composite scores combining results from all tests showed significant improvement after consumption of dark compared with milk chocolate (mean improvement, 0.20 log U [95% CI, 0.10-0.30 log U]; P chocolate bar compared with a

  12. Clinical results from low-level laser therapy in patients with autosomal dominant cone-rod dystrophy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koev, K.; Avramov, L.; Borissova, E.

    2018-03-01

    The objective of this study is to examine long-term effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in patients with autosomal dominant cone-rod dystrophy (CRDs). A He-Ne Laser with continuous emission at 633 nm (01 mW/cm2) was used on five patients with autosomal dominant pedigree of Romani origin with non-syndromic CRDs. The laser radiation was applied transpupillary to the macula six times for three minutes every other day. The experiment was conducted for a period of three years. The clinical evaluation included best corrected visual acuity determination, funduscopy, Humphrey perimetry, Farnsworth Hue-28 color testing, fluorescein angiography, and full-field electroretinogram (ERG). All affected individuals presented reduced visual acuity (0.01 – 0.4) and photophobia. The funduscopic examination and fluorescein angiography revealed advanced changes including bone spicule-like pigment deposits in the midperiphery and the macular area, along with retinal atrophy, narrowing of the vessels, and waxy optic discs. The visual fields demonstrated central scotoma. The electrophysiologic examination of the patients detected an abnormal cone-rod ERG (20 – 30 μV) with photopic amplitudes more markedly reduced than the scotopic. Flicker responses were missing and Farnsworth Hue-28 test found protanopia. There was a statistically significant increase in the visual acuity (p<0.001, end of study versus baseline) for CRDs patients for the period of three years after the treatment with LLLT. Following the LLLT, the central absolute scotoma in CRDs was reduced, as was the prevalence of metamorphopsia in CRDs. This study shows that LLLT may prove be a novel long-lasting therapeutic option for both forms of CRDs. It is a highly effective treatment resulting in a long-term improvement of the visual acuity.

  13. Visual acuity, self-reported vision and falls in the EPIC-Norfolk Eye study

    OpenAIRE

    Yip, Jennifer L Y; Khawaja, Anthony P; Broadway, David; Luben, Robert; Hayat, Shabina; Dalzell, Nichola; Bhaniani, Amit; Wareham, Nicholas; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Foster, Paul J

    2013-01-01

    Purpose To examine the relationship between visual acuity (VA) and self-reported vision (SRV) in relation to falls in 8317 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk Eye study. Methods All participants completed a health questionnaire that included a question regarding SRV and questions regarding the number of falls in the past year. Distance VA was measured using a logMAR chart for each eye. Poor SRV was defined as those reporting fair or poor distance vision....

  14. Hearing acuity as a predictor of walking difficulties in older women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viljanen, Anne; Kaprio, Jaakko; Pyykkö, Ilmari; Sorri, Martti; Koskenvuo, Markku; Rantanen, Taina

    2009-12-01

    To examine whether hearing acuity correlates with walking ability and whether impaired hearing at baseline predicts new self-reported walking difficulties after 3 years. Prospective follow-up. Research laboratory and community. Four hundred thirty-four women aged 63 to 76. Hearing was measured using clinical audiometry. A person was defined as having a hearing impairment if a pure-tone average of thresholds at 0.5 to 4 kHz in the better ear was 21 dB or greater. Maximal walking speed was measured over 10 m (m/s), walking endurance as the distance (m), covered in 6 minutes and difficulties in walking 2 km according to self-report. At baseline, women with hearing impairment (n=179) had slower maximal walking speed (1.7 +/- 0.3 m/s vs 1.8 +/- 0.3 m/s, P=.007), lower walking endurance (520 +/- 75 m vs 536 +/- 75 m, P=.08), and more selfreported major difficulties in walking 2 km (12.8% vs 5.5%, P=.02) than those without hearing impairment. During follow-up, major walking difficulties developed for 33 participants. Women with hearing impairment at baseline had a twice the age-adjusted risk for new walking difficulties as those without hearing impairment (odds ratio=2.04, 95% confidence interval=0.96-4.33). Hearing acuity correlated with mobility, which may be explained by the association between impaired hearing and poor balance and greater risk for falls, both of which underlie decline in mobility. Prevention of hearing loss is not only important for the ability to communicate, but may also have more wide-ranging influences on functional ability.

  15. Readers' Trust, Socio-Demographic, and Acuity Influences in Citizen Journalism Credibility for Disrupted Online Newspapers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wester, Aaron Micah

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative research study was to evaluate and determine if significant associations and linear correlations exist between reader socio-demographics, levels of trust and affinity in online citizen writer news story article content, brand loyalty, and acuity in newspaper organizations transitioning from print to online in a…

  16. Macular pigment optical density spatial distribution measured in a subject with oculocutaneous albinism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putnam, Christopher M; Bland, Pauline J

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies of macular pigment optical density (MPOD) distribution in individuals with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) have primarily used objective measurement techniques including fundus reflectometry and autofluorescence. We report here on a subject with OCA and their corresponding MPOD distribution assessed through heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP). A subject with a history of OCA presented with an ocular history including strabismus surgery of the LE with persistent amblyopia and mild, latent nystagmus. Best corrected visual acuity was 20/25- RE and 20/40- LE. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and fundus photography were also obtained. Evaluation of MPOD spatial distribution up to 8 degrees eccentricity from the fovea was performed using HFP. SD-OCT indicated a persistence of multiple inner retinal layers within the foveal region in the RE and LE including symmetric foveal thickening consistent with foveal hypoplasia. Fundus photography showed mild retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) hypopigmentation and a poorly demarcated macula. OriginPro 9 was used to plot MPOD spatial distribution of the subject and a 33-subject sample. The OCA subject demonstrated a foveal MPOD of 0.10 with undetectable levels at 6 degrees eccentricity. The study sample showed a mean foveal MPOD of 0.34 and mean 6 degree eccentricity values of 0.03. Consistent with previous macular pigment (MP) studies of OCA, overall MPOD is reduced in our subject. Mild phenotypic expression of OCA with high functional visual acuity may represent a Henle fiber layer amenable to additional MP deposition. Further study of MP supplementation in OCA patients is warranted. Copyright © 2014 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  17. The Role of Optical Coherence Tomography in an Atypical Case of Oculocutaneous Albinism: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Settimio Rossi

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Oculocutaneous albinism is a group of autosomal recessive disorders featuring hypopigmentation of the hair, skin and eyes. Ocular signs associated with the disease are nystagmus, decreased visual acuity, hypopigmentation of the retina, foveal hypoplasia, translucency of the iris, macular transparency, photophobia and abnormal decussation of nerve fibers at the chiasm. Case Report: An 8-year-old Caucasian girl presented to our clinic ‘Referral Center for Hereditary Retinopathies’ of the Second University of Naples with a diagnosis of Stargardt disease and a progressive reduction in visual acuity in both eyes. She underwent a complete ophthalmic examination including standard electroretinography and optical coherence tomography (OCT. A molecular analysis was also performed. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/30 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left eye. Biomicroscopy of the anterior segment revealed a transparent cornea, in situ and transparent lens and normally pigmented iris. A mild diffuse depigmentation and macular dystrophy were observed at fundus examination. Standard electroretinography showed normal scotopic and photopic responses. OCT revealed high reflectivity across the fovea without depression. The typical OCT pattern led us to direct the molecular analysis towards the genes involved in oculocutaneous albinism. The molecular analysis identified mutations in the TYR gene. Conclusion: In this case, the role of OCT was crucial in guiding the molecular analysis for the diagnosis of albinism. OCT is therefore instrumental in similar cases that do not present typical characteristics of a disease. The case also proves the relevance of molecular analysis to confirm clinical diagnoses in hereditary retinal diseases.

  18. The Acuity of Echolocation: Spatial Resolution in Sighted Persons Compared to the Performance of an Expert Who Is Blind

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teng, Santani; Whitney, David

    2011-01-01

    Echolocation is a specialized application of spatial hearing that uses reflected auditory information to localize objects and represent the external environment. Although it has been documented extensively in nonhuman species, such as bats and dolphins, its use by some persons who are blind as a navigation and object-identification aid has…

  19. Spatial vision in older adults: perceptual changes and neural bases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKendrick, Allison M; Chan, Yu Man; Nguyen, Bao N

    2018-05-17

    The number of older adults is rapidly increasing internationally, leading to a significant increase in research on how healthy ageing impacts vision. Most clinical assessments of spatial vision involve simple detection (letter acuity, grating contrast sensitivity, perimetry). However, most natural visual environments are more spatially complicated, requiring contrast discrimination, and the delineation of object boundaries and contours, which are typically present on non-uniform backgrounds. In this review we discuss recent research that reports on the effects of normal ageing on these more complex visual functions, specifically in the context of recent neurophysiological studies. Recent research has concentrated on understanding the effects of healthy ageing on neural responses within the visual pathway in animal models. Such neurophysiological research has led to numerous, subsequently tested, hypotheses regarding the likely impact of healthy human ageing on specific aspects of spatial vision. Healthy normal ageing impacts significantly on spatial visual information processing from the retina through to visual cortex. Some human data validates that obtained from studies of animal physiology, however some findings indicate that rethinking of presumed neural substrates is required. Notably, not all spatial visual processes are altered by age. Healthy normal ageing impacts significantly on some spatial visual processes (in particular centre-surround tasks), but leaves contrast discrimination, contrast adaptation, and orientation discrimination relatively intact. The study of older adult vision contributes to knowledge of the brain mechanisms altered by the ageing process, can provide practical information regarding visual environments that older adults may find challenging, and may lead to new methods of assessing visual performance in clinical environments. © 2018 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2018 The College of Optometrists.

  20. Hearing in alpacas (Vicugna pacos): audiogram, localization acuity, and use of binaural locus cues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heffner, Rickye S; Koay, Gimseong; Heffner, Henry E

    2014-02-01

    Behavioral audiograms and sound localization abilities were determined for three alpacas (Vicugna pacos). Their hearing at a level of 60 dB sound pressure level (SPL) (re 20 μPa) extended from 40 Hz to 32.8 kHz, a range of 9.7 octaves. They were most sensitive at 8 kHz, with an average threshold of -0.5 dB SPL. The minimum audible angle around the midline for 100-ms broadband noise was 23°, indicating relatively poor localization acuity and potentially supporting the finding that animals with broad areas of best vision have poorer sound localization acuity. The alpacas were able to localize low-frequency pure tones, indicating that they can use the binaural phase cue, but they were unable to localize pure tones above the frequency of phase ambiguity, thus indicating complete inability to use the binaural intensity-difference cue. In contrast, the alpacas relied on their high-frequency hearing for pinna cues; they could discriminate front-back sound sources using 3-kHz high-pass noise, but not 3-kHz low-pass noise. These results are compared to those of other hoofed mammals and to mammals more generally.

  1. SMARTPHONE-BASED DILATED FUNDUS PHOTOGRAPHY AND NEAR VISUAL ACUITY TESTING AS INEXPENSIVE SCREENING TOOLS TO DETECT REFERRAL WARRANTED DIABETIC EYE DISEASE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toy, Brian C; Myung, David J; He, Lingmin; Pan, Carolyn K; Chang, Robert T; Polkinhorne, Alison; Merrell, Douglas; Foster, Doug; Blumenkranz, Mark S

    2016-05-01

    To compare clinical assessment of diabetic eye disease by standard dilated examination with data gathered using a smartphone-based store-and-forward teleophthalmology platform. 100 eyes of 50 adult patients with diabetes from a health care safety-net ophthalmology clinic. All patients underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examination. Concurrently, a smartphone was used to estimate near visual acuity and capture anterior and dilated posterior segment photographs, which underwent masked, standardized review. Quantitative comparison of clinic and smartphone-based data using descriptive, kappa, Bland-Altman, and receiver operating characteristic analyses was performed. Smartphone visual acuity was successfully measured in all eyes. Anterior and posterior segment photography was of sufficient quality to grade in 96 and 98 eyes, respectively. There was good correlation between clinical Snellen and smartphone visual acuity measurements (rho = 0.91). Smartphone-acquired fundus photographs demonstrated 91% sensitivity and 99% specificity to detect moderate nonproliferative and worse diabetic retinopathy, with good agreement between clinic and photograph grades (kappa = 0.91 ± 0.1, P smartphone-based telemedicine system that demonstrated sensitivity and specificity to detect referral-warranted diabetic eye disease as a proof-of-concept. Additional studies are warranted to evaluate this approach to expanding screening for diabetic retinopathy.

  2. Outcomes of visual acuity in carbon ion radiotherapy: Analysis of dose-volume histograms and prognostic factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Azusa; Mizoe, Jun-etsu; Mizota, Atsushi; Tsujii, Hirohiko

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To analyze the tolerance dose for retention of visual acuity in patients with head-and-neck tumors treated with carbon ion radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: From June 1994 to March 2000, 163 patients with tumors in the head and neck or skull base region were treated with carbon ion radiotherapy. Analysis was performed on 54 optic nerves (ONs) corresponding to 30 patients whose ONs had been included in the irradiated volume. These patients showed no evidence of visual impairment due to other factors and had a follow-up period of >4 years. All patients had been informed of the possibility of visual impairment before treatment. We evaluated the dose-complication probability and the prognostic factors for the retention of visual acuity in carbon ion radiotherapy, using dose-volume histograms and multivariate analysis. Results: The median age of 30 patients (14 men, 16 women) was 57.2 years. Median prescribed total dose was 56.0 gray equivalents (GyE) at 3.0-4.0 GyE per fraction per day (range, 48-64 GyE; 16-18 fractions; 4-6 weeks). Of 54 ONs that were analyzed, 35 had been irradiated with max ]) resulting in no visual loss. Conversely, 11 of the 19 ONs (58%) irradiated with >57 GyE (D max ) suffered a decrease of visual acuity. In all of these cases, the ONs had been involved in the tumor before carbon ion radiotherapy. In the multivariate analysis, a dose of 20% of the volume of the ON (D 2 ) was significantly associated with visual loss. Conclusions: The occurrence of visual loss seems to be correlated with a delivery of >60 GyE to 20% of the volume of the ON

  3. White-matter microstructure and hearing acuity in older adults: a population-based cross-sectional DTI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigters, Stephanie C; Cremers, Lotte G M; Ikram, M Arfan; van der Schroeff, Marc P; de Groot, Marius; Roshchupkin, Gennady V; Niessen, Wiro J N; Baatenburg de Jong, Robert J; Goedegebure, André; Vernooij, Meike W

    2018-01-01

    To study the relation between the microstructure of white matter in the brain and hearing function in older adults we carried out a population-based, cross-sectional study. In 2562 participants of the Rotterdam Study, we conducted diffusion tensor imaging to determine the microstructure of the white-matter tracts. We performed pure-tone audiogram and digit-in-noise tests to quantify hearing acuity. Poorer white-matter microstructure, especially in the association tracts, was related to poorer hearing acuity. After differentiating the separate white-matter tracts in the left and right hemisphere, poorer white-matter microstructure in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus and the right uncinate fasciculus remained significantly associated with worse hearing. These associations did not significantly differ between middle-aged (51-69 years old) and older (70-100 years old) participants. Progressing age was thus not found to be an effect modifier. In a voxel-based analysis no voxels in the white matter were significantly associated with hearing impairment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The Cost-effectiveness of Welcome to Medicare Visual Acuity Screening and a Possible Alternative Welcome to Medicare Eye Evaluation Among Persons Without Diagnosed Diabetes Mellitus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rein, David B.; Wittenborn, John S.; Zhang, Xinzhi; Hoerger, Thomas J.; Zhang, Ping; Klein, Barbara Eden Kobrin; Lee, Kris E.; Klein, Ronald; Saaddine, Jinan B.

    2013-01-01

    Objective To estimate the cost-effectiveness of visual acuity screening performed in primary care settings and of dilated eye evaluations performed by an eye care professional among new Medicare enrollees with no diagnosed eye disorders. Medicare currently reimburses visual acuity screening for new enrollees during their initial preventive primary care health check, but dilated eye evaluations may be a more cost-effective policy. Design Monte Carlo cost-effectiveness simulation model with a total of 50 000 simulated patients with demographic characteristics matched to persons 65 years of age in the US population. Results Compared with no screening policy, dilated eye evaluations increased quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) by 0.008 (95% credible interval [CrI], 0.005–0.011) and increased costs by $94 (95% CrI, −$35 to $222). A visual acuity screening increased QALYs in less than 95% of the simulations (0.001 [95% CrI, −0.002 to 0.004) and increased total costs by $32 (95% CrI, −$97 to $159) per person. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of a visual acuity screening and an eye examination compared with no screening were $29 000 and $12 000 per QALY gained, respectively. At a willingness-to-pay value of $15 000 or more per QALY gained, a dilated eye evaluation was the policy option most likely to be cost-effective. Conclusions The currently recommended visual acuity screening showed limited efficacy and cost-effectiveness compared with no screening. In contrast, a new policy of reimbursement for Welcome to Medicare dilated eye evaluations was highly cost-effective. PMID:22232367

  5. Comparison between bilateral implantation of a trifocal intraocular lens and blended implantation of two bifocal intraocular lenses

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    Vilar C

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available César Vilar,1,2 Wilson Takashi Hida,1–3 André Lins de Medeiros,1,2 Klayny Rafaella Pereira Magalhães,2 Patrick Frensel de Moraes Tzelikis,1,2 Mario Augusto Pereira Dias Chaves,2,4 Antônio Francisco Pimenta Motta,2,3 Pedro Carlos Carricondo,1–3 Milton Ruiz Alves,3 Walton Nosé5 1Cataract Division, Brasília Ophthalmologic Hospital (HOB, Brasília-DF, Brazil; 2Renato Ambrosio Ophthalmologic Research Center (CEORA, 3Ophthalmology Department, São Paulo University – USP, São Paulo-SP, Brazil; 4Cataract Division, ProVisão, João Pessoa-PB, Brazil; 5Ophthalmology Department, Paulista Medical School – UNIFESP, São Paulo-SP, Brazil Purpose: To compare visual outcomes and performance between bilateral implantation of a diffractive trifocal intraocular lens (IOL Acrysof®PanOptix® TFNT00 and blended implantation of two different near add power bifocal IOLs: Acrysof® Restor® SV25T0 in dominant eye and Acrysof® Restor® SN6AD1 in the nondominant eye.Methods: This prospective, nonrandomized, consecutive and comparative study assessed 20 patients (40 eyes who had bilateral cataract surgery performed using the IOLs described. Patients were divided into groups, bilateral trifocal implant and blended implant. Evaluation included measurement of binocular uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity at 4 m (UDVA, CDVA and uncorrected intermediate (60 cm and near (at 40 cm visual acuity; contrast sensitivity (CS and visual defocus curve.Results: Postoperative CDVA comparison showed no statistical significance between groups. UDVA was significantly better in the trifocal groups. Under photopic conditions, the trifocal group had better CS in higher frequencies with and without glare. The binocular defocus curve demonstrated a trifocal behavior in both groups, with the bilateral trifocal group exhibiting better performance for intermediate vision.Conclusion: Both lens combinations were able to provide good near, intermediate and distance vision

  6. Pupil size in Jewish theological seminary students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shemesh, G; Kesler, A; Lazar, M; Rothkoff, L

    2004-01-01

    To investigate the authors' clinical impression that pupil size among myopic Jewish theological seminary students is different from pupil size of similar secular subjects. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 28 male Jewish theological seminary students and 28 secular students or workers who were matched for age and refraction. All participants were consecutively enrolled. Scotopic and photopic pupil size was measured by means of a Colvard pupillometer. Comparisons of various parameters between the groups were performed using the two-sample t-test, Fisher exact test, a paired-sample t-test, a two-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients as appropriate. The two groups were statistically matched for age, refraction, and visual acuity. The seminary students were undercorrected by an average of 2.35 diopters (D), while the secular subjects were undercorrected by only 0.65 D (pwork or of apparently characteristic undercorrection of the myopia is undetermined.

  7. Use of the Dynamic Visual Acuity Test as a screener for community-dwelling older adults who fall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Honaker, Julie A; Shepard, Neil T

    2011-01-01

    Adequate function of the peripheral vestibular system, specifically the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR; a network of neural connections between the peripheral vestibular system and the extraocular muscles) is essential for maintaining stable vision during head movements. Decreased visual acuity resulting from an impaired peripheral vestibular system may impede balance and postural control and place an individual at risk of falling. Therefore, sensitive measures of the vestibular system are warranted to screen for the tendency to fall, alerting clinicians to recommend further risk of falling assessment and referral to a falling risk reduction program. Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) testing is a computerized VOR assessment method to evaluate the peripheral vestibular system during head movements; reduced visual acuity as documented with DVA testing may be sensitive to screen for falling risk. This study examined the sensitivity and specificity of the computerized DVA test with yaw plane head movements for identifying community-dwelling adults (58-78 years) who are prone to falling. A total of 16 older adults with a history of two or more unexplained falls in the previous twelve months and 16 age and gender matched controls without a history of falls in the previous twelve months participated. Computerized DVA with horizontal head movements at a fixed velocity of 120 deg/sec was measured and compared with the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) a gold standard gait assessment measurement for identifying falling risk. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were used to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the computerized DVA as a screening measure for falling risk as determined by the DGI. Results suggested a link between computerized DVA and the propensity to fall; DVA in the yaw plane was found to be a sensitive (92%) and accurate screening measure when using a cutoff logMAR value of >0.25.

  8. Improvement of visual acuity and VEP after optic nerve contusion by NGF and its safety analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming Zhao

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available AIM:To investigate the effect of neuropathic factor(NGFon visual acuity and visual evoked potential(VEPin patients with optic nerve contusion. METHODS:Totally 78 patients(78 eyeswith optic nerve contusion were selected. From January 2013 to June 2016, 39 cases(39 eyeswere divided into observation group and control group respectively according to the random number table method. Prednisone, vitamins and mecobalamin tablets treatment were given to both groups, based on that, the observation group was given NGF treatment, continuous treatment of 2 courses(21d for a course of treatment. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in visual field defect and visual field sensitivity between the observation group and the control group before treatment(P>0.05. After treatment, the visual field defect degree of the observation group was smaller, the visual field sensitivity was better than that of the control group(PP>0.05. After treatment, the P100 wave latency of the observation group was significantly shorter than that of the control group(PPPCONCLUSION: NGF treatment for optic nerve contusion can significantly improve the patient's visual acuity, VEP indicators, reduce visual field defects, improve visual field sensitivity.

  9. Intensity response function of the photopic negative response (PhNR): effect of age and test-retest reliability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joshi, Nabin R; Ly, Emma; Viswanathan, Suresh

    2017-08-01

    To assess the effect of age and test-retest reliability of the intensity response function of the full-field photopic negative response (PhNR) in normal healthy human subjects. Full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded from one eye of 45 subjects, and 39 of these subjects were tested on two separate days with a Diagnosys Espion System (Lowell, MA, USA). The visual stimuli consisted of brief (test-retest reliability was assessed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Bland-Altman analysis. Holm's correction was applied to account for multiple comparisons. V max of BT was significantly smaller than that of PT and b-wave, and the V max of PT and b-wave was not significantly different from each other. The slope parameter n was smallest for BT and the largest for b-wave and the difference between the slopes of all three measures were statistically significant. Small differences observed in the mean values of K for the different measures did not reach statistical significance. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated no significant differences between the two test visits for any of the Naka-Rushton parameters for the three ERG measures, and the Bland-Altman plots indicated that the mean difference between test and retest measurements of the different fit parameters was close to zero and within 6% of the average of the test and retest values of the respective parameters for all three ERG measurements, indicating minimal bias. While the coefficient of reliability (COR, defined as 1.96 times the standard deviation of the test and retest difference) of each fit parameter was more or less comparable across the three ERG measurements, the %COR (COR normalized to the mean test and retest measures) was generally larger for BT compared to both PT and b-wave for each fit parameter. The Naka-Rushton fit parameters did not show statistically significant changes with age for any of the ERG measures when corrections were applied for multiple comparisons. However, the V max of

  10. Higher-order aberrations and best-corrected visual acuity in Native American children with a high prevalence of astigmatism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Joseph M; Harvey, Erin M; Schwiegerling, Jim

    2015-08-01

    To determine whether higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in children from a highly astigmatic population differ from population norms and whether HOAs are associated with astigmatism and reduced best-corrected visual acuity. Subjects were 218 Tohono O'odham Native American children 5-9 years of age. Noncycloplegic HOA measurements were obtained with a handheld Shack-Hartmann sensor (SHS). Signed (z06s to z14s) and unsigned (z06u to z14u) wavefront aberration Zernike coefficients Z(3,-3) to Z(4,4) were rescaled for a 4 mm diameter pupil and compared to adult population norms. Cycloplegic refraction and best-corrected logMAR letter visual acuity (BCVA) were also measured. Regression analyses assessed the contribution of astigmatism (J0) and HOAs to BCVA. The mean root-mean-square (RMS) HOA of 0.191 ± 0.072 μm was significantly greater than population norms (0.100 ± 0.044 μm). All unsigned HOA coefficients (z06u to z14u) and all signed coefficients except z09s, z10s, and z11s were significantly larger than population norms. Decreased BCVA was associated with astigmatism (J0) and spherical aberration (z12u) but not RMS coma, with the effect of J0 about 4 times as great as z12u. Tohono O'odham children show elevated HOAs compared to population norms. Astigmatism and unsigned spherical aberration are associated with decreased acuity, but the effects of spherical aberration are minimal and not clinically significant. Copyright © 2015 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. A cross-sectional examination of visual acuity by specific type of albinism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winsor, Caitlin Nosanov; Holleschau, Ann M; Connett, John E; Summers, C Gail

    2016-10-01

    Reports of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in albinism are often based on overlapping clinical phenotypes. BCVA in albinism has been shown to improve with age. This study reports a large cross-sectional investigation to determine whether BCVA differs by specific type of albinism when age-corrected. This retrospective review identified 170 individuals with a specific type of albinism identified by mutation(s) in a gene known to cause albinism (for OCA1, OCA2, and Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome ([HPS]) or a specific phenotype (white hair and no melanin pigment in OCA1A; pigmentary mosaicism in the obligate carriers for males with OA1). We recorded optotype binocular BCVA at final follow-up. Patients were age-grouped (2-5 years, 6-14 years, and ≥15 years) for comparison. The greatest visual acuity deficit was found for OCA1A in all age groups. At age ≥15 years (n = 79), mean BCVA was 20/128 for OCA1A, 20/37 for OCA1B, 20/59 for OCA2, 20/63 for OA1, and 20/121 for HPS. Significant differences between BCVA at ≥15 years were found in the following: OCA1A vs OCA1B, OCA1A vs OCA2, OCA1A vs OA1, OCA1B vs HPS, OCA2 vs HPS, and OA1 vs HPS (P ≤ 0.02). This study provides a large sample size and includes only those with a specific type of albinism. BCVA varies by albinism type, and there is overlap in BCVA, particularly in the younger age groups. For ages ≥15 years, there are significant differences in BCVA between several types of albinism. Copyright © 2016 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The contributions of numerical acuity and non-numerical stimulus features to the development of the number sense and symbolic math achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starr, Ariel; DeWind, Nicholas K; Brannon, Elizabeth M

    2017-11-01

    Numerical acuity, frequently measured by a Weber fraction derived from nonsymbolic numerical comparison judgments, has been shown to be predictive of mathematical ability. However, recent findings suggest that stimulus controls in these tasks are often insufficiently implemented, and the proposal has been made that alternative visual features or inhibitory control capacities may actually explain this relation. Here, we use a novel mathematical algorithm to parse the relative influence of numerosity from other visual features in nonsymbolic numerical discrimination and to examine the strength of the relations between each of these variables, including inhibitory control, and mathematical ability. We examined these questions developmentally by testing 4-year-old children, 6-year-old children, and adults with a nonsymbolic numerical comparison task, a symbolic math assessment, and a test of inhibitory control. We found that the influence of non-numerical features decreased significantly over development but that numerosity was a primary determinate of decision making at all ages. In addition, numerical acuity was a stronger predictor of math achievement than either non-numerical bias or inhibitory control in children. These results suggest that the ability to selectively attend to number contributes to the maturation of the number sense and that numerical acuity, independent of inhibitory control, contributes to math achievement in early childhood. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Benefit of spatial filtering for visual perception with a subretinal implant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rieger, Viola; Aryan, Naser Pour; Brendler, Christian; Rothermel, Albrecht

    2014-01-01

    Subretinal implants have proven to be capable of restoring vision to patients suffering from hereditary retinal degeneration diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and cone-rod dystrophy. Although they already provide basic visual perception, there is still much room for improvement in this field. Effects like electric field interference limit the visual acuity and may be the cause of the perceived vision to be blurred. This influence could be reduced by means of highpass spatial filtering. In this paper, based on the available reports about the visual perception parameters from the patients using the alpha-IMS subretinal implant, a model for the blurring effect of the patients retina is proposed. On this basis, highpass filters are suggested which will compensate the obscuring effect of the stimulator device plus retina system to some extent.

  14. Spatial interactions reveal inhibitory cortical networks in human amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Erwin H; Levi, Dennis M; McGraw, Paul V

    2005-10-01

    Humans with amblyopia have a well-documented loss of sensitivity for first-order, or luminance defined, visual information. Recent studies show that they also display a specific loss of sensitivity for second-order, or contrast defined, visual information; a type of image structure encoded by neurons found predominantly in visual area A18/V2. In the present study, we investigate whether amblyopia disrupts the normal architecture of spatial interactions in V2 by determining the contrast detection threshold of a second-order target in the presence of second-order flanking stimuli. Adjacent flanks facilitated second-order detectability in normal observers. However, in marked contrast, they suppressed detection in each eye of the majority of amblyopic observers. Furthermore, strabismic observers with no loss of visual acuity show a similar pattern of detection suppression. We speculate that amblyopia results in predominantly inhibitory cortical interactions between second-order neurons.

  15. Accuracy of 'My Gut Feeling:' Comparing System 1 to System 2 Decision-Making for Acuity Prediction, Disposition and Diagnosis in an Academic Emergency Department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabrera, Daniel; Thomas, Jonathan F; Wiswell, Jeffrey L; Walston, James M; Anderson, Joel R; Hess, Erik P; Bellolio, M Fernanda

    2015-09-01

    Current cognitive sciences describe decision-making using the dual-process theory, where a System 1 is intuitive and a System 2 decision is hypothetico-deductive. We aim to compare the performance of these systems in determining patient acuity, disposition and diagnosis. Prospective observational study of emergency physicians assessing patients in the emergency department of an academic center. Physicians were provided the patient's chief complaint and vital signs and allowed to observe the patient briefly. They were then asked to predict acuity, final disposition (home, intensive care unit (ICU), non-ICU bed) and diagnosis. A patient was classified as sick by the investigators using previously published objective criteria. We obtained 662 observations from 289 patients. For acuity, the observers had a sensitivity of 73.9% (95% CI [67.7-79.5%]), specificity 83.3% (95% CI [79.5-86.7%]), positive predictive value 70.3% (95% CI [64.1-75.9%]) and negative predictive value 85.7% (95% CI [82.0-88.9%]). For final disposition, the observers made a correct prediction in 80.8% (95% CI [76.1-85.0%]) of the cases. For ICU admission, emergency physicians had a sensitivity of 33.9% (95% CI [22.1-47.4%]) and a specificity of 96.9% (95% CI [94.0-98.7%]). The correct diagnosis was made 54% of the time with the limited data available. System 1 decision-making based on limited information had a sensitivity close to 80% for acuity and disposition prediction, but the performance was lower for predicting ICU admission and diagnosis. System 1 decision-making appears insufficient for final decisions in these domains but likely provides a cognitive framework for System 2 decision-making.

  16. Changes in visual acuity in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration treated with intravitreal ranibizumab in daily clinical practice: the LUMIERE study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Salomon Y; Mimoun, Gerard; Oubraham, Hassiba; Zourdani, Alain; Malbrel, Christian; Queré, Stephane; Schneider, Véronique

    2013-03-01

    To survey compliance with recommended intravitreal ranibizumab treatment protocols in daily clinical practice in France, with reference to outcomes. A retrospective, descriptive, observational study in patients with subfoveal wet age-related macular degeneration treated with ranibizumab. All historical data for the study period, including demographic, treatment, and disease details and visual acuity measurements (baseline, Month 3, and Month 12), were recorded retrospectively at least 12 months after the beginning of treatment. In 551 patients followed by 16 ophthalmologists, 12 months of intravitreal ranibizumab treatment induced a mean visual acuity gain of 3.2 ± 14.8 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study-equivalent letters. Fewer than 40% of patients received the recommended treatment of initial 3 monthly injections. More than 50% had to wait >8 days between diagnosis and treatment. At Month 3, visual acuity gain was greater in patients who had received recommended induction and in whom treatment was initiated quickly. At Month 12, the induction-related effect had largely disappeared but the time-to-treatment effect persisted. Patients had an average of 5.1 injections (2.6 during induction period). No patients were monitored monthly as stipulated in the guidelines. Although poor compliance with recommendations has been reflected in mediocre outcomes, there is evidence that practice is improving.

  17. Using the Five-Level Taiwan Triage and Acuity Scale Computerized System: Factors in Decision Making by Emergency Department Triage Nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Wen; Liu, Hsueh-Erh; Goopy, Suzanne; Chen, Li-Chin; Chen, Hsiao-Jung; Han, Chin-Yen

    2017-10-01

    Triage classifies and prioritizes patients' care based on the acuity of the illness in emergency departments (EDs). In Taiwan, the five-level Taiwan Triage and Acuity Scale (TTAS) computerized system was implemented nationally in 2010. The purpose of this study was to understand which factors affect decision-making practices of triage nurses in the light of the implementation of the new TTAS tool and computerized system. The qualitative data were collected by in-depth interviews. Data saturation was reached with 16 participants. Content analysis was used. The results demonstrated that the factors affecting nurses' decision making in the light of the newly implemented computerized system sit within three main categories: external environmental, patients' health status, and nurses' experiences. This study suggests ensuring the patient's privacy while attending the triage desk, improving the critical thinking of triage nurses, and strengthening the public's understanding of the ED visits. These will make ED triage more efficient.

  18. Visual acuity after Ruthenium106 brachytherapy of choroidal melanomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Damato, Bertil; Patel, Imran M.; Campbell, Ian R.; Mayles, Helen M.; Errington, R. Douglas

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: To report on conservation of visual acuity after Ruthenium 106 (Ru-106) brachytherapy of choroidal melanoma. Methods and materials: This study was a noncomparative interventional case series of 458 patients with choroidal melanoma treated at a single center between January 1993 and December 2001. The intervention consisted of Ru-106 brachytherapy delivering minimum scleral and apex doses of 300 Gy and 80 Gy, respectively, using a 15-mm or 20-mm plaque. For discrete, posterior tumors, the plaque was positioned eccentrically with its posterior edge aligned with the posterior tumor margin. To ensure correct plaque positioning, any overlying extraocular muscles were dis-inserted, and the locations of both tumor and plaque edges were confirmed by transillumination and indentation. The main outcome measures were conservation of vision of 20/40 or better, 20/200 or better, and Counting Fingers or better, according to baseline variables. Results: The actuarial rate of conservation of 20/40 or better was 55% at 9 years, loss of such vision correlating with posterior tumor extension (p 106 brachytherapy of posterior choroidal melanoma achieves good conservation of vision if the tumor does not extend close to the optic nerve or fovea

  19. An exploratory study evaluating the effects of macular carotenoid supplementation in various retinal diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Crosby-Nwaobi R

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Roxanne Crosby-Nwaobi, Philip Hykin, Tunde Peto, Sobha Sivaprasad NIHR Clinical Research Facility, NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of daily oral supplementation with Macushield (10 mg/d meso-zeaxanthin, 10 mg/d lutein, and 2 mg/d zeaxanthin on eye health in patients with retinal diseases by assessing the macular pigment (MP profile, the visual function, and the quality of life. Methods: Fifty-one patients with various retinal diseases were supplemented daily and followed up for 6 months. The MP optical density was measured using the customized heterochromatic flicker photometry and dual-wavelength autofluorescence. Visual function was evaluated by assessing the change in best corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and glare sensitivity in mesopic and photopic conditions. Vision-related and general quality of life changes were determined using the National Eye Insititute- Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI-VFQ-25 and EuroQoL-5 dimension questionnaires. Results: A statistically significant increase in the MP optical density was observed using the dual-wavelength autofluorescence (P=0.04 but not with the customized heterochromatic flicker photometry. Statistically significant (P<0.05 improvements in glare sensitivity in low and medium spatial frequencies were observed at 3 months and 6 months. Ceiling effects confounded other visual function tests and quality of life changes. Conclusion: Supplementation with the three carotenoids enhances certain aspects of visual performance in retinal diseases. Keywords: macular pigment optical density, diabetes, central serous retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration

  20. COMPARISON OF VISUAL ACUITY IN REDUCED LUMINATION AND FACILITY OF OCULAR ACCOMMODATION IN TABLE TENNIS CHAMPIONS AND NON- PLAYERS

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    Ebrahim Jafarzadehpur

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available A table tennis player should fixate at different distances; track the objects with different speed, and in different visual environment. Their visual skills must be well developed for these capabilities. Therefore, visual acuity in reduced lumination and facility of ocular accommodation those are two criteria for visual skills have been compared in table tennis players and normal non-players. Twenty-nine young table tennis champions and 29 normal matched non-players (did not take part in any racket sports game were evaluated. Basic visual and eye examinations were done for both of them. Normal results in basic examination were fundamental requirement for all the subjects. +/-2.00 sphere lenses for accommodation facility are used. An electrical current regulator changed the output light intensity of a conventional chart projector (Topcon. Light intensity decreased to 10 cd·m-2 and visual acuity tested. In comparison of visual acuity in reduced lumination and facility of ocular accommodation in table tennis champions and non-players there are significant differences (p < 0.001. In the preliminary visual tests there was not any significant different in the two groups but the results in the top level table tennis player was very uniform and in every test and the standard deviation was lesser in tennis player group than non-players. These results show that motor and sensorial functions of expert players are well developed. That is consistent with other researchers. This result was interpreted as reflecting a better perceptual system of experts to the constraints encountered during table tennis and its use in practical settings for evaluating athletes or detecting sport talents. However some visual and perceptual training that usually used in orthoptics can be used for novice table tennis player to improve their abilities

  1. Acuidade visual: Medidas e notações Visual acuity: Measurements and notations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harley E. A. Bicas

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available Avaliações da função visual são muito complexas por dependerem de mecanismos aferentes, eferentes e cognitivos, além de fatores externos à pessoa examinada, como o tipo de estímulo e o de sua apresentação. O exame da acuidade visual é discutido em seus aspectos formais de definições, quantificações (critérios de medição de um ângulo e tamanho dos optotipos, notações (decimal ou fracionárias, escalas (representando relações angulares, lineares, logarítmicas e unidades em que os valores são expressos (recíproca do minuto de arco, número puro, freqüência espacial, decibéis e oitavas. Como conseqüência, referências numéricas sobre a acuidade visual e operações que as envolvem (p.ex., cálculo de valores médios, determinação de variações, relações entre elas podem levar a interpretações muito diferentes e até opostas num mesmo estudo, dependendo dos critérios nele empregados.Evaluations of the visual function are very intricate since they depend on afferent, efferent and cognitive mechanisms, besides external factors of the examined subject, such as the type of the stimulus and of its presentation. Testing the visual acuity is discussed in its formal aspects related to definitions, quantifications (criteria for the measurements of an angle, size of optotypes, notations (decimal or fractionary, scales (representing angular, linear or logarithmic relationships and units in which the values are expressed (reciprocal of minutes of arc, pure number, spacial frequency, decibels, octaves. As a consequence, numerical references about visual acuity and respective operations (e.g., calculations of average values, determinations of variations, relationships between them may lead to very different interpretations of a study, sometimes even opposite, according to the criteria which are used.

  2. Multisensory Rehabilitation Training Improves Spatial Perception in Totally but Not Partially Visually Deprived Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giulia Cappagli

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Since it has been shown that spatial development can be delayed in blind children, focused sensorimotor trainings that associate auditory and motor information might be used to prevent the risk of spatial-related developmental delays or impairments from an early age. With this aim, we proposed a new technological device based on the implicit link between action and perception: ABBI (Audio Bracelet for Blind Interaction is an audio bracelet that produces a sound when a movement occurs by allowing the substitution of the visuo-motor association with a new audio-motor association. In this study, we assessed the effects of an extensive but entertaining sensorimotor training with ABBI on the development of spatial hearing in a group of seven 3–5 years old children with congenital blindness (n = 2; light perception or no perception of light or low vision (n = 5; visual acuity range 1.1–1.7 LogMAR. The training required the participants to play several spatial games individually and/or together with the psychomotor therapist 1 h per week for 3 months: the spatial games consisted of exercises meant to train their ability to associate visual and motor-related signals from their body, in order to foster the development of multisensory processes. We measured spatial performance by asking participants to indicate the position of one single fixed (static condition or moving (dynamic condition sound source on a vertical sensorized surface. We found that spatial performance of congenitally blind but not low vision children is improved after the training, indicating that early interventions with the use of science-driven devices based on multisensory capabilities can provide consistent advancements in therapeutic interventions, improving the quality of life of children with visual disability.

  3. Origins of Superior Dynamic Visual Acuity in Baseball Players: Superior Eye Movements or Superior Image Processing

    OpenAIRE

    Uchida, Yusuke; Kudoh, Daisuke; Murakami, Akira; Honda, Masaaki; Kitazawa, Shigeru

    2012-01-01

    Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is defined as the ability to discriminate the fine parts of a moving object. DVA is generally better in athletes than in non-athletes, and the better DVA of athletes has been attributed to a better ability to track moving objects. In the present study, we hypothesized that the better DVA of athletes is partly derived from better perception of moving images on the retina through some kind of perceptual learning. To test this hypothesis, we quantitatively measured DV...

  4. Effect of ruboxistaurin (RBX) On visual acuity decline over a 6-year period with cessation and reinstitution of therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sheetz, Matthew J; Aiello, Lloyd Paul; Shahri, Nazila

    2011-01-01

    reduced the occurrence of sustained moderate visual loss (SMVL; ≥15-letter decline in visual acuity sustained for the last 6 months of study participation) from 9.1% in the PBO group (N = 340) to 5.5% in the RBX group (N = 345, P = 0.034). This study evaluates the primary end point of SMVL in a 2-year...

  5. Comparison of monochromatic aberrations in young adults with different visual acuity and refractive errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yazar, Seyhan; Hewitt, Alex W; Forward, Hannah; McKnight, Charlotte M; Tan, Alex; Mountain, Jenny A; Mackey, David A

    2014-03-01

    To compare the monochromatic aberrations in a large cohort of 20-year-old Australians with differing levels of visual acuity and explore the relationship between these aberrations and refractive error. Lions Eye Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort. Monochromatic aberrations were measured using a Zywave II wavefront aberrometer with natural pupils in a dark room. The logMAR corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was measured monocularly under normal illumination. Cycloplegic autorefraction was also performed. The study enrolled 2039 eyes of 1040 participants. Data from 1007 right eyes were analyzed. The median CDVA and spherical equivalent were -0.06 logMAR (interquartile range [IQR], -0.10 to 0.00) and +0.25 diopters (D) (IQR, -0.38 to 0.63), respectively. The median 6.0 mm higher-order aberration (HOA) was 0.58 μm (IQR, 0.44 to 0.79). Coma-like aberrations and 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-order HOAs were significantly different between subjects with a CDVA of -0.10 logMAR or better and those with a CDVA worse than -0.10 logMAR. Fourth-order aberrations Z(4,-4) (P=.024) and Z(4,-2) (P=.029) and 2nd-order aberration Z(2,0) (Peyes, emmetropic eyes, and hyperopic eyes. Subjects with higher myopia had slightly higher total HOAs. The HOAs in this population were marginally higher than previously reported values. The findings confirm there is a difference in monochromatic aberrations between different vision and refractive groups. Results in this study will benefit decision-making processes in the clinical setting. Copyright © 2014 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Visual Performance of a Quadrifocal (Trifocal) Intraocular Lens Following Removal of the Crystalline Lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohnen, Thomas; Herzog, Michael; Hemkeppler, Eva; Schönbrunn, Sabrina; De Lorenzo, Nina; Petermann, Kerstin; Böhm, Myriam

    2017-12-01

    To evaluate visual performance after implantation of a quadrifocal intraocular lens (IOL). Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. Twenty-seven patients (54 eyes) received bilateral implantation of the PanOptix IOL (AcrySof IQ PanOptixTM; Alcon Research, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) pre-enrollment. Exclusion criteria were previous ocular surgeries, corneal astigmatism of >1.5 diopter (D), ocular pathologies, or corneal abnormalities. Intervention or Observational Procedure(s): Postoperative examination at 3 months including manifest refraction; uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and distance-corrected visual acuity (DCVA) in 4 m, 80 cm, 60 cm, and 40 cm slit-lamp examination; defocus testing; contrast sensitivity (CS) under photopic and mesopic conditions; and a questionnaire on subjective quality of vision, optical phenomena, and spectacle independence was performed. At 3 months postoperatively, UCVA and DCVA in 4 m, 80 cm, 60 cm, and 40 cm (logMAR), defocus curves, CS, and quality-of-vision questionnaire results. Mean spherical equivalent was -0.04 ± 0.321 D 3 months postoperatively. Binocular UCVA at distance, intermediate (80 cm, 60 cm), and near was 0.00 ± 0.094 logMAR, 0.09 ± 0.107 logMAR, 0.00 ± 0.111 logMAR, and 0.01 ± 0.087 logMAR, respectively. Binocular defocus curve showed peaks with best visual acuity (VA) at 0.00 D (-0.07 logMAR) and -2.00 D (-0.02 logMAR). Visual performance of the PanOptix IOL showed good VA at all distances; particularly good intermediate VA (logMAR > 0.1), with best VA at 60 cm; and high patient satisfaction and spectacle independence 3 months postoperatively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Single-step transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy in myopia and astigmatism: 18-month follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adib-Moghaddam, Soheil; Soleyman-Jahi, Saeed; Salmanian, Bahram; Omidvari, Amir-Houshang; Adili-Aghdam, Fatemeh; Noorizadeh, Farsad; Eslani, Medi

    2016-11-01

    To evaluate the long-term quantitative and qualitative optical outcomes of 1-step transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) to correct myopia and astigmatism. Bina Eye Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Prospective interventional case series. Eyes with myopia with or without astigmatism were evaluated. One-step transepithelial PRK was performed with an aberration-free aspheric optimized profile and the Amaris 500 laser. Eighteen-month follow-up results for refraction, visual acuities, vector analysis, higher-order aberrations, contrast sensitivity, postoperative pain, and haze grade were assessed. The study enrolled 146 eyes (74 patients). At the end of follow-up, 93.84% of eyes had an uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better and 97.94% of eyes were within ±0.5 diopter of the targeted spherical refraction. On vector analysis, the mean correction index value was close to 1 and the mean index of success and magnitude of error values were close to 0. The achieved correction vector was on an axis counterclockwise to the axis of the intended correction. Photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivities and ocular and corneal spherical, cylindrical, and corneal coma aberrations significantly improved (all P < .001). A slight amount of trefoil aberration was induced (P < .001, ocular aberration; P < .01, corneal aberration). No eye lost more than 1 line of corrected distance visual acuity. No eye had a haze grade of 2+ degrees or higher throughout the follow-up. Eighteen-month results indicate the efficacy and safety of transepithelial PRK to correct myopia and astigmatism. It improved refraction and quality of vision. None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Copyright © 2016 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Intraocular straylight and contrast sensitivity after contralateral wavefront-guided LASIK and wavefront-guided PRK for myopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barreto, Jackson; Barboni, Mirella T S; Feitosa-Santana, Claudia; Sato, João R; Bechara, Samir J; Ventura, Dora F; Alves, Milton Ruiz

    2010-08-01

    To compare intraocular straylight measurements and contrast sensitivity after wavefront-guided LASIK (WFG LASIK) in one eye and wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy (WFG PRK) in the fellow eye for myopia and myopic astigmatism correction. A prospective, randomized study of 22 eyes of 11 patients who underwent simultaneous WFG LASIK and WFG PRK (contralateral eye). Both groups were treated with the NIDEK Advanced Vision Excimer Laser System, and a microkeratome was used for flap creation in the WFG LASIK group. High and low contrast visual acuity, wavefront analysis, contrast sensitivity, and retinal straylight measurements were performed preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. A third-generation straylight meter, C-Quant (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH), was used for measuring intraocular straylight. Twelve months postoperatively, mean uncorrected distance visual acuity was -0.06 +/- 0.07 logMAR in the WFG LASIK group and -0.10 +/- 0.10 logMAR in the WFG PRK group. Mean preoperative intraocular straylight was 0.94 +/- 0.12 logs for the WFG LASIK group and 0.96 +/- 0.11 logs for the WFG PRK group. After 12 months, the mean straylight value was 1.01 +/- 0.1 log s for the WFG LASIK group and 0.97 +/- 0.12 log s for the WFG PRK group. No difference was found between techniques after 12 months (P = .306). No significant difference in photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity between groups was noted. Intraocular straylight showed no statistically significant increase 1 year after WFG LASIK and WFG PRK. Higher order aberrations increased significantly after surgery for both groups. Nevertheless, WFG LASIK and WFG PRK yielded excellent visual acuity and contrast sensitivity performance without significant differences between techniques.

  9. Long-Term Visual Training Increases Visual Acuity and Long-Term Monocular Deprivation Promotes Ocular Dominance Plasticity in Adult Standard Cage-Raised Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosang, Leon; Yusifov, Rashad; Löwel, Siegrid

    2018-01-01

    For routine behavioral tasks, mice predominantly rely on olfactory cues and tactile information. In contrast, their visual capabilities appear rather restricted, raising the question whether they can improve if vision gets more behaviorally relevant. We therefore performed long-term training using the visual water task (VWT): adult standard cage (SC)-raised mice were trained to swim toward a rewarded grating stimulus so that using visual information avoided excessive swimming toward nonrewarded stimuli. Indeed, and in contrast to old mice raised in a generally enriched environment (Greifzu et al., 2016), long-term VWT training increased visual acuity (VA) on average by more than 30% to 0.82 cycles per degree (cyc/deg). In an individual animal, VA even increased to 1.49 cyc/deg, i.e., beyond the rat range of VAs. Since visual experience enhances the spatial frequency threshold of the optomotor (OPT) reflex of the open eye after monocular deprivation (MD), we also quantified monocular vision after VWT training. Monocular VA did not increase reliably, and eye reopening did not initiate a decline to pre-MD values as observed by optomotry; VA values rather increased by continued VWT training. Thus, optomotry and VWT measure different parameters of mouse spatial vision. Finally, we tested whether long-term MD induced ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in the visual cortex of adult [postnatal day (P)162-P182] SC-raised mice. This was indeed the case: 40-50 days of MD induced OD shifts toward the open eye in both VWT-trained and, surprisingly, also in age-matched mice without VWT training. These data indicate that (1) long-term VWT training increases adult mouse VA, and (2) long-term MD induces OD shifts also in adult SC-raised mice.

  10. CORRELATION OF CLINICAL AND STRUCTURAL PROGRESSION WITH VISUAL ACUITY LOSS IN MACULAR TELANGIECTASIA TYPE 2: MacTel Project Report No. 6-The MacTel Research Group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peto, Tunde; Heeren, Tjebo F C; Clemons, Traci E; Sallo, Ferenc B; Leung, Irene; Chew, Emily Y; Bird, Alan C

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate progression of macular telangiectasia Type 2 lesions and their correlation with visual acuity. An international multicenter prospective study with annual examinations including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography images graded centrally. Mixed models were used to estimate progression rates, and a generalized linear model to compute the relative risk of BCVA loss, loss of ellipsoid zone (EZ) reflectivity, development of pigment plaques, or neovascularization. One thousand and fourteen eyes of 507 participants were followed for 4.2 ± 1.6 years. Best-corrected visual acuity decreased 1.07 ± 0.05 letters (mean ± SE) per year. Of all eyes, 15% lost ≥15 letters after 5 years. Of the eyes without EZ loss, 76% developed a noncentral loss. Of the eyes with noncentral loss, 45% progressed to central EZ loss. The rate of BCVA loss in eyes with noncentral EZ loss at baseline was similar to eyes without EZ loss. The rate of BCVA loss was significantly higher in eyes with central EZ loss at baseline (-1.40 ± 0.14 letters, P structural component reflecting visual function. Its presence in the fovea significantly correlates with worse visual prognosis.

  11. Comparação da análise da frente de onda e da sensibilidade ao contraste em olhos pseudofácicos com implante de lentes intra-oculares esférica e asférica Wavefront analysis and contrast sensitivity comparison between spheric and aspheric intraocular lenses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilson Takashi Hida

    2008-06-01

    eyes of 16 patients. A complete ophthalmic evaluation was done before, and after surgery at days 1,3, 7 and 90, and included best corrected visual acuity, the contrast sensitivity, under photopic and mesopic conditions, and aberrometry. Almost all exams were done monocularly with undilated pupils (aberrometry under pharmacological dilatation. The patients eyes were operated with conventional phacoemulsification, with aspheric intraocular lenses in one eye, and spherical in the other. RESULTS: The visual acuity with the best correction was -0.146 in the spheric group, and -0.165 logMAR in the aspheric group in photopic conditions, and 0.024 and -0.003 LogMAR under mesopic conditions. The contrast sensitivity under photopic and mesopic conditions was similar comparing the two groups. In regard to optical aberrations there was a significant diference between the total (1.09 ± 0.56 in the aspheric, and 1.52± 1.19 in the spherical group and spherical component of high order aberrations (0.422± 0.202 in spheric group and 0.124 ± 0.087 in the aspheric group. CONCLUSION: Both groups reached excellent postoperative visual acuity in high contrast situations, however aspheric intraocular lenses group had lower total and spherical aberrations, comparing to the spheric intraocular lenses group.

  12. The role of visual acuity and segmentation cues in compound word identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jukka eHyönä

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Studies are reviewed that demonstrate how the foveal area of the eye constrains how compound words are identified during reading. When compound words are short, their letters can be identified during a single fixation, leading to the whole-word route dominating word recognition from early on. Hence, visually marking morpheme boundaries by hyphens slows down processing by encouraging morphological decomposition when holistic processing is a feasible option. In contrast, the decomposition route dominates the early stages of identifying long compound words. Thus, visual marking of morpheme boundaries facilitates processing of long compound words, unless the initial fixation made on the word lands very close to the morpheme boundary. The reviewed pattern of results is explained by the visual acuity principle (Bertram & Hyönä, 2003 and the dual-route framework of morphological processing.

  13. Visual evoked potentials (VEP and visual acuity improvement after cytidine 52 -diphosphocholine (CDP-Choline therapy in amblyopic patient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Regina Halfeld Furtado de Mendonça

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Citicoline may be used in many neurological disorders. Combined treatment of citicoline with patching in amblyopia has previously been researched. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the effect of citicoline in non-patching amblyopic patient. A 11-year-old amblyopic boy underwent complete ophthalmological examinations, including VEP with flash and pattern stimulus. Two averages of 100 sweep were performed for flash stimulus. Pattern reversal stimulus obtained with high contrast was performed with 60', 30' and 15' checks stimuli. The VEP was repeated 90 days later after a therapy with citicoline and vitamin and the results compared with the responses of the previous recording session. The visual acuity (VA was 0,7 in the RE and 1,0 in the LE. The VEP pattern amplitude was normal in both eyes. Delayed in latency was detected for all spatial frequency stimulus (SFS in the RE. Delay in latency was detected only for high SFS in the LE. After the treatment, the VA was 1,0 in both eyes. The latency was normalized with low SFS on the RE and with high SFS on the LE. The flash VEP was normal before and after the therapy. In conclusion, the citicoline demonstrated that it was effective in the treatment of amblyopic eye without patching. The VA and the VEP latency improvement demonstrated that the citicoline enhance the transmission of the electric impulse from retina to visual cortex. Further research is required to understand the immediate and long-term effect of coline treatment in amblyopic patients.

  14. Decline of tactile acuity in aging: a study of body site, blood flow, and lifetime habits of smoking and physical activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevens, Joseph C; Alvarez-Reeves, Marty; Dipietro, Loretta; Mack, Gary W; Green, Barry G

    2003-01-01

    Tactile acuity of 60 older subjects (> or = 65 years) and 19 younger subjects (18-28 years) was assessed by two-point gap thresholds at the upper and lower surfaces of the forefinger, at the upper and lower surfaces of the feet, and at the volar surface of the forearm. The older subjects were assigned to one of four groups of 15 subjects each, depending on reported lifetime habits of physical activity and smoking: (1) active smokers, (2) active nonsmokers, (3) inactive smokers, and (4) inactive nonsmokers. Peripheral blood flow was assessed at the forefinger, foot, and forearm by means of laser-Doppler imaging and skin temperature recordings, under resting conditions and during and after a 5-min exposure to mild cooling (28 degrees C). Consistent with previous studies, tactile acuity thresholds in the foot and finger averaged about 80% higher in the older subjects than in the younger subjects, but only about 22% higher in the forearm. Although the upper surface of the fingertip was more sensitive than the lower surface in both younger and older subjects, the age-related decline in tactile acuity was nearly identical on both sides of the finger and foot. The latter finding refutes the hypothesis that the larger effect of aging in the extremities results from greater physical wear and tear on the contact surfaces of the hands and feet. Self-reported lifetime histories of physical activity and smoking were not significantly associated with measures of cutaneous blood flow or tactile thresholds. Possible reasons for this lack of association are discussed, including the inherent limitations of testing only healthy older subjects, and the concept of "successful aging".

  15. A pilot trial of the iPad tablet computer as a portable device for visual acuity testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhao-tian; Zhang, Shao-chong; Huang, Xiong-gao; Liang, Ling-yi

    2013-01-01

    We evaluated the accuracy of an app for the iPad tablet computer (Eye Chart Pro) as a portable method of visual acuity (VA) testing. A total of 120 consecutive patients (240 eyes) underwent visual acuity test with an iPad 2 and a conventional light-box chart. The logMAR VA results from the iPad were significantly higher than those from the light-box (P iPad chart and the light-box chart, with 95% limits of agreement of -0.14 to 0.19. Two groups of patients were defined: in Group 1 there were 182 eyes with VA better than 0.1 according to the light-box VA test. The median logMAR VA by the iPad was 0.54 and by the light-box chart it was 0.52; there was no significant difference between them (P = 0.69). In Group 2 there were 58 eyes with VA equal to or worse than 0.1 according to the light-box VA test. The median logMAR VA by the iPad was 1.26 and was 1.10 by the light box; the result from the iPad was significantly lower (P iPad is reliable for VA testing only when the Snellen VA is better than 0.1 (20/200).

  16. The Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS): 12. Baseline risk factors for sustained loss of visual field and visual acuity in patients with advanced glaucoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-10-01

    To examine the relationships between baseline risk factors and sustained decrease of visual field (SDVF) and sustained decrease of visual acuity (SDVA). Cohort study of participants in the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS). This multicenter study enrolled patients between 1988 and 1992 and followed them until 2001; 789 eyes of 591 patients with advanced glaucoma were randomly assigned to one of two surgical sequences, argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT)-trabeculectomy-trabeculectomy (ATT) or trabeculectomy-ALT-trabeculectomy (TAT). This report is based on data from 747 eyes. Eyes were offered the next intervention in the sequence upon failure of the previous intervention. Failure was based on recurrent intraocular pressure elevation, visual field defect, and disk rim criteria. Study visits occurred every 6 months; potential follow-up ranged from 8 to 13 years. For each intervention sequence, Cox multiple regression analyses were used to examine the baseline characteristics for association with two vision outcomes: SDVF and SDVA. The magnitude of the association is measured by the hazard ratio (HR), where HR for binary variables is the relative change in the hazard (or risk) of the outcome in eyes with the factor divided by the hazard in eyes without the factor, and HR for continuous variables is the relative change in the hazard (or risk) of the outcome in eyes with a unit increase in the factor. Characteristics associated with increased SDVF risk in the ATT sequence are: less baseline visual field defect (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.86, P <.001, 95% CI = 0.82-0.90), male gender (HR = 2.23, P <.001, 1.54-3.23), and worse baseline visual acuity (HR = 0.96, P =.001, 0.94-0.98); in the TAT sequence: less baseline visual field defect (HR = 0.93, P =.001, 0.89-0.97) and diabetes (HR = 1.87, P =.007, 1.18-2.97). Characteristics associated with increased SDVA risk in both treatment sequences are better baseline acuity (ATT: HR = 1.05, P <.001, 1.02-1.09; TAT: HR = 1

  17. Postoperative ocular higher-order aberrations and contrast sensitivity: femtosecond lenticule extraction versus pseudo small-incision lenticule extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Deborah K L; Tay, Wan Ting; Chan, Cordelia; Tan, Donald T H; Mehta, Jodhbir S

    2015-03-01

    To evaluate and compare changes in contrast sensitivity and ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs) after femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx) and pseudo small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore. Retrospective case series. Patients had femtosecond lenticule extraction (Group 1) or pseudo small-incision lenticule extraction (Group 2) between March 2010 and December 2011. The main outcome measures were manifest refraction, HOAs, and contrast sensitivity 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Fifty-two consecutive patients (102 eyes) were recruited, 21 patients (42 eyes) in Group 1 and the 31 patients (60 eyes) in Group 2. The uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuities were significantly better in Group 2 than in Group 1 at 12 months (P = .032). There was no significant increase in 3rd- or 4th-order aberrations at 1 year and no significant difference between the 2 groups preoperatively or postoperatively. At 1 year, there was a significant increase in mesopic contrast sensitivity in Group 2 at 1.5 cycles per degree (cpd) (P = .008) that was not found in Group 1, and photopic contrast sensitivity at 6.0 cpd was higher in Group 2 (P = .027). These results indicate that refractive lenticule extraction is safe and effective with no significant induction of HOAs or deterioration in contrast sensitivity at 1 year. Induction of HOAs was not significantly different between both variants of refractive lenticule extraction. However, there was significant improvement in photopic contrast sensitivity after pseudo small-incision lenticule extraction, which persisted through 1 year. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Copyright © 2015 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Light perception in two strictly subterranean rodents: life in the dark or blue?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ondrej Kott

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia are strictly subterranean, congenitally microphthalmic rodents that are hardly ever exposed to environmental light. Because of the lack of an overt behavioural reaction to light, they have long been considered to be blind. However, recent anatomical studies have suggested retention of basic visual capabilities. In this study, we employed behavioural tests to find out if two mole-rat species are able to discriminate between light and dark, if they are able to discriminate colours and, finally, if the presence of light in burrows provokes plugging behaviour, which is assumed to have a primarily anti-predatory function. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: We used a binary choice test to show that the silvery mole-rat Heliophobius argenteocinereus and the giant mole-rat Fukomys mechowii exhibit a clear photoavoidance response to full-spectrum ("white", blue and green-yellow light, but no significant reaction to ultraviolet or red light during nest building. The mole-rats thus retain dark/light discrimination capabilities and a capacity to perceive short to medium-wavelength light in the photopic range of intensities. These findings further suggest that the mole-rat S opsin has its absorption maximum in the violet/blue part of the spectrum. The assay did not yield conclusive evidence regarding colour discrimination. To test the putative role of vision in bathyergid anti-predatory behaviour, we examined the reaction of mole-rats to the incidence of light in an artificial burrow system. The presence of light in the burrow effectively induced plugging of the illuminated tunnel. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that the photopic vision is conserved and that low acuity residual vision plays an important role in predator avoidance and tunnel maintenance in the African mole-rats.

  19. Accuracy of ‘My Gut Feeling:’ Comparing System 1 to System 2 Decision-Making for Acuity Prediction, Disposition and Diagnosis in an Academic Emergency Department

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Cabrera

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Current cognitive sciences describe decision-making using the dual-process theory, where a System 1 is intuitive and a System 2 decision is hypothetico-deductive. We aim to compare the performance of these systems in determining patient acuity, disposition and diagnosis. Methods: Prospective observational study of emergency physicians assessing patients in the emergency department of an academic center. Physicians were provided the patient’s chief complaint and vital signs and allowed to observe the patient briefly. They were then asked to predict acuity, final disposition (home, intensive care unit (ICU, non-ICU bed and diagnosis. A patient was classified as sick by the investigators using previously published objective criteria. Results: We obtained 662 observations from 289 patients. For acuity, the observers had a sensitivity of 73.9% (95% CI [67.7-79.5%], specificity 83.3% (95% CI [79.5-86.7%], positive predictive value 70.3% (95% CI [64.1-75.9%] and negative predictive value 85.7% (95% CI [82.0-88.9%]. For final disposition, the observers made a correct prediction in 80.8% (95% CI [76.1-85.0%] of the cases. For ICU admission, emergency physicians had a sensitivity of 33.9% (95% CI [22.1-47.4%] and a specificity of 96.9% (95% CI [94.0-98.7%]. The correct diagnosis was made 54% of the time with the limited data available. Conclusion: System 1 decision-making based on limited information had a sensitivity close to 80% for acuity and disposition prediction, but the performance was lower for predicting ICU admission and diagnosis. System 1 decision-making appears insufficient for final decisions in these domains but likely provides a cognitive framework for System 2 decision-making.

  20. Perception of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Emergency Centre staff on acuity of patients” presentation and appropriateness of attendance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P.K. Forson

    2013-06-01

    Discussion: Staff in this study were not unanimous on the acuity of presentation of walk-in patients and referred patients. Walk-in patients were more likely turned away from the EC. Though perception of staff may hold inherent weakness of objectiveness, this may inform staff attitudes to care for walk-in patients. Negative perceptions of staff on overcrowding in EC could be addressed through staff training and policy directed at reducing EC overcrowding.

  1. Acuidade visual em implantes bilaterais de lentes intra-oculares monofocais e multifocais Visual acuity of bilateral implants of monofocal and multifocal intraocular lenses

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    Leonardo Akaishi

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Comparar a acuidade visual de longe e perto de pacientes submetidos à facoemulsificação binocular não simultânea com implante de lentes multifocais ou monofocais. MÉTODOS: Foram selecionados 20 pacientes com lentes multifocais bilaterais e outros 20 pacientes com lentes monofocais também bilaterais, com acuidade visual sem correção melhor ou igual a 0,63 (20/30, medidos separadamente, nos três primeiros meses de pós-operatório. Foi medida a acuidade visual para longe e perto com e sem correção e testes de sensibilidade ao contraste e ofuscamento. RESULTADOS: A acuidade visual sem correção para longe no grupo das monofocais teve média de 0,82 (DP± 0,16 e no grupo das multifocais, 0,94 (DP±0,12, valor de p 0,001. Os dois grupos de lentes tiveram visão com correção para longe igual a 1. No grupo das multifocais, 75% tiveram J1 e 100% tiveram J3 ou melhor sem correção. No grupo das lentes monofocais, 10% tiveram J1 e 70% tiveram J3 ou melhor sem correção. Não houve diferença significante na avaliação com o teste de sensibilidade ao contraste entre os grupos pesquisados. No teste de ofuscamento, os dois grupos tiveram redução da visão, que foi mais acentuada no grupo dos pacientes com lentes multifocais. CONCLUSÃO: A acuidade visual para longe com correção nos pacientes com implante multifocal foi semelhante a dos pacientes com implantes monofocais, embora a acuidade visual para perto no grupo em que foi implantado lente multifocal foi bastante superior ao grupo da lente monofocal. A sensibilidade ao contraste manteve-se semelhante nos dois grupos, já o ofuscamento ("glare test" no grupo multifocal foi maior que no grupo monofocal.PURPOSE: To compare distant and near visual acuity between patients submitted to bilateral nonsimultaneous facoemulsification and implantation of multifocal or monofocal intraocular lenses (IOL. METHODS: Twenty patients with bilateral multifocal IOL and 20 patients with

  2. Visual acuity and refraction by age for children of three different ethnic groups in Paraguay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marissa Janine Carter

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To characterize refractive errors in Paraguayan children aged 5-16 years and investigate effect of age, gender, and ethnicity. METHODS:The study was conducted at 3 schools that catered to Mennonite, indigenous, and mixed race children. Children were examined for presenting visual acuity, autorefraction with and without cycloplegia, and retinoscopy. Data were analyzed for myopia and hyperopia (SE ≤-1 D or -0.5 D and ≥2 D or ≥3 D and astigmatism (cylinder ≥1 D. Spherical equivalent (SE values were calculated from right eye cycloplegic autorefraction data and analyzed using general linear modelling. RESULTS: There were 190, 118, and 168 children of Mennonite, indigenous and mixed race ethnicity, respectively. SE values between right/left eyes were nonsignificant. Mean visual acuity (VA without correction was better for Mennonites compared to indigenous or mixed race children (right eyes: 0.031, 0.090, and 0.102 logMAR units, respectively; P<0.000001. There were 2 cases of myopia in the Mennonite group (1.2% and 2 cases in the mixed race group (1.4% (SE ≤-0.5 D. The prevalence of hyperopia (SE ≥2 D was 40.6%, 34.2%, and 46.3% for Mennonite, indigenous and mixed race children. Corresponding astigmatism rates were 3.2%, 9.5%, and 12.7%. Females were slightly more hyperopic than males, and the 9-11 years age group was the most hyperopic. Mennonite and mixed race children were more hyperopic than indigenous children. CONCLUSIONS: Paraguayan children were remarkably hyperopic and relatively free of myopia. Differences with regard to gender, age, and ethnicity were small.

  3. The Spatial Extent of Epiretinal Electrical Stimulation in the Healthy Mouse Retina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zohreh Hosseinazdeh

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Retinal prostheses use electrical stimulation to restore functional vision to patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa. A key detail is the spatial pattern of ganglion cells activated by stimulation. Therefore, we characterized the spatial extent of network-mediated electrical activation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs in the epiretinal monopolar electrode configuration. Methods: Healthy mouse RGC activities were recorded with a micro-electrode array (MEA. The stimuli consisted of monophasic rectangular cathodic voltage pulses and cycling full-field light flashes. Results: Voltage tuning curves exhibited significant hysteresis, reflecting adaptation to electrical stimulation on the time scale of seconds. Responses decreased from 0 to 300 µm, and were also dependent on the strength of stimulation. Applying the Rayleigh criterion to the half-width at half-maximum of the electrical point spread function suggests a visual acuity limit of no better than 20/946. Threshold voltage showed only a modest increase across these distances. Conclusion: The existence of significant hysteresis requires that future investigations of electrical retinal stimulation control for such long-memory adaptation. The spread of electrical activation beyond 200 µm suggests that neighbouring electrodes in epiretinal implants based on indirect stimulation of RGCs may be indiscriminable at interelectrode spacings as large as 400 µm.

  4. Parafoveal magnification: visual acuity does not modulate the perceptual span in reading.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miellet, Sébastien; O'Donnell, Patrick J; Sereno, Sara C

    2009-06-01

    Models of eye guidance in reading rely on the concept of the perceptual span-the amount of information perceived during a single eye fixation, which is considered to be a consequence of visual and attentional constraints. To directly investigate attentional mechanisms underlying the perceptual span, we implemented a new reading paradigm-parafoveal magnification (PM)-that compensates for how visual acuity drops off as a function of retinal eccentricity. On each fixation and in real time, parafoveal text is magnified to equalize its perceptual impact with that of concurrent foveal text. Experiment 1 demonstrated that PM does not increase the amount of text that is processed, supporting an attentional-based account of eye movements in reading. Experiment 2 explored a contentious issue that differentiates competing models of eye movement control and showed that, even when parafoveal information is enlarged, visual attention in reading is allocated in a serial fashion from word to word.

  5. Correlation of visual acuity and central macular morphology in different types of diabetic macular edema

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiu-Ju Wu

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available AIM:To observe the correlation of visual acuity and central macular morphology in patients with different types of diabetic macular edema(DME. METHODS: Presented study was single-center, uncontrolled retrospective clinical study. Sixty-two patients(103 eyeswith DME were included. Best corrected visual acuity(BCVAwas evaluated using early treatment diabetic retinopathy study(ETDRSvision test chart. All patients were examined by non-contact tonometer, slit lamp, indirect ophthalmoscope, and fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA. Central subfield mean thickness(CSMTin the macular area of diameter 1mm was measured by optical coherence tomography(OCT.And in the same time the integrity of inner segments/ outer segments(IS/OSand external limiting membrane(ELMreflecting light strip of 350μm center horizontal scanning line was investigated by OCT. BCVA and CSMT in different types of DME patients were analyzed using Kruskal- Wallis test. BCVA and CSMT between the two-two groups in different types of DME patients were analyzed using Nemenyi test, and multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relative factors of BCVA. RESULTS: In the 103 eyes, 47 eyes(45.6%were focal DME, 35 eyes(34.0%were diffuse DME, 6 eyes(5.8%were ischemic DME and 15 eyes(14.6%were proliferative DME. The difference of mean BCVA(H=69.167, PH=57.113, Pχ2=14.982,Pχ2=14.537,Pχ2=15.596,Pχ2=15.393,Pχ2=16.567,Pχ2=15.687,Pχ2=12.974、P=0.008; CSMT:χ2=13.999,Pr=-0.064,-0.207,-0.082 and -0.160, respectively, Pr=-0.885, -2.522, -1.504, and-0.595, respectively, P>0.05. CONCLUSION: There are statistically significant differences on macular morphology and vision function among different types of DME patients.

  6. Functional and morphological assessment of ocular structures and follow-up of patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasanov, Samir; Demirkilinc Biler, Elif; Acarer, Ahmet; Akkın, Cezmi; Colakoglu, Zafer; Uretmen, Onder

    2018-05-09

    To evaluate and follow-up of functional and morphological changes of the optic nerve and ocular structures prospectively in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. Nineteen patients with a diagnosis of early-stage Parkinson's disease and 19 age-matched healthy controls were included in the study. All participants were examined minimum three times at the intervals of at least 6 month following initial examination. Pattern visually evoked potentials (VEP), contrast sensitivity assessments at photopic conditions, color vision tests with Ishihara cards and full-field visual field tests were performed in addition to measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness of four quadrants (top, bottom, nasal, temporal), central and mean macular thickness and macular volumes. Best corrected visual acuity was observed significantly lower in study group within all three examinations. Contrast sensitivity values of the patient group were significantly lower in all spatial frequencies. P100 wave latency of VEP was significantly longer, and amplitude was lower in patient group; however, significant deterioration was not observed during the follow-up. Although average peripapillary RNFL thickness was not significant between groups, RNFL thickness in the upper quadrant was thinner in the patient group. While there was no difference in terms of mean macular thickness and total macular volume values between the groups initially, a significant decrease occurred in the patient group during the follow-up. During the initial and follow-up process, a significant deterioration in visual field was observed in the patient group. Structural and functional disorders shown as electro-physiologically and morphologically exist in different parts of visual pathways in early-stage Parkinson's disease.

  7. Improvement of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA and contrast sensitivity (UCCS with perceptual learning and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS in individuals with mild myopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca eCamilleri

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Perceptual learning has been shown to produce an improvement of visual acuity (VA and contrast sensitivity (CS both in subjects with amblyopia and refractive defects such as myopia or presbyopia. Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS has proven to be efficacious in accelerating neural plasticity and boosting perceptual learning in healthy participants. In this study we investigated whether a short behavioural training regime using a contrast detection task combined with online tRNS was as effective in improving visual functions in participants with mild myopia compared to a two-month behavioural training regime without tRNS (Camilleri et al., 2014. After two weeks of perceptual training in combination with tRNS, participants showed an improvement of 0.15 LogMAR in uncorrected VA (UCVA that was comparable with that obtained after eight weeks of training with no tRNS, and an improvement in uncorrected CS (UCCS at various spatial frequencies (whereas no UCCS improvement was seen after eight weeks of training with no tRNS. On the other hand, a control group that trained for two weeks without stimulation did not show any significant UCVA or UCCS improvement. These results suggest that the combination of behavioural and neuromodulatory techniques can be fast and efficacious in improving sight in individuals with mild myopia.

  8. A quantitative method for determining spatial discriminative capacity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dennis Robert G

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The traditional two-point discrimination (TPD test, a widely used tactile spatial acuity measure, has been criticized as being imprecise because it is based on subjective criteria and involves a number of non-spatial cues. The results of a recent study showed that as two stimuli were delivered simultaneously, vibrotactile amplitude discrimination became worse when the two stimuli were positioned relatively close together and was significantly degraded when the probes were within a subject's two-point limen. The impairment of amplitude discrimination with decreasing inter-probe distance suggested that the metric of amplitude discrimination could possibly provide a means of objective and quantitative measurement of spatial discrimination capacity. Methods A two alternative forced-choice (2AFC tracking procedure was used to assess a subject's ability to discriminate the amplitude difference between two stimuli positioned at near-adjacent skin sites. Two 25 Hz flutter stimuli, identical except for a constant difference in amplitude, were delivered simultaneously to the hand dorsum. The stimuli were initially spaced 30 mm apart, and the inter-stimulus distance was modified on a trial-by-trial basis based on the subject's performance of discriminating the stimulus with higher intensity. The experiment was repeated via sequential, rather than simultaneous, delivery of the same vibrotactile stimuli. Results Results obtained from this study showed that the performance of the amplitude discrimination task was significantly degraded when the stimuli were delivered simultaneously and were near a subject's two-point limen. In contrast, subjects were able to correctly discriminate between the amplitudes of the two stimuli when they were sequentially delivered at all inter-probe distances (including those within the two-point limen, and improved when an adapting stimulus was delivered prior to simultaneously delivered stimuli. Conclusion

  9. Habitual plate-waste of 6- to 9-year-olds may not be associated with lower nutritional needs or taste acuity, but undesirable dietary factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baik, Ji-Yoon; Lee, Hongmie

    2009-12-01

    Efforts to reduce plate-waste (PW) are limited to those by a dietitian who serves the entire school rather than a better characterization of individuals who are served. We tested the hypothesis that children reporting habitual PW would have different physical or dietary characteristics compared with children without PW. Participants were 407 children aged 6 to 9 years in elementary schools in Kyeonggi, Korea. Information on eating behavior and food preference was collected using a questionnaire administered by parents. Among them, 91 students participated further in anthropometry, step counting, taste acuity tests, and nutrition intake from school lunches. Participants were divided into tertiles according to total frequency of leaving PW from each meal on a typical day: no PW, moderate PW, and habitual PW. Children with habitual PW showed several undesirable characteristics: consuming less of various vegetables, eating only what they like, poor table manners, and frequent consumption of street foods and cookies/beverages/fast foods. Whereas height, weight, and obesity index as well as taste acuity and daily steps in the habitual PW group were not significantly different, intakes of potassium, niacin, and folate were significantly lower compared with the other groups. Therefore, habitual PW did not seem to result from having a lower energy requirement or different taste acuity, or result in observed slowed growth, but it could place children at a risk for insufficient nutritional intake, consequently impairing growth and general health. The results emphasize the parental role in shaping children's diet and provide information for developing strategies to reduce PW of individual children.

  10. The role of short-term memory and visuo-spatial skills in numerical magnitude processing: Evidence from Turner syndrome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucie Attout

    Full Text Available Most studies on magnitude representation have focused on the visual modality with no possibility of disentangling the influence of visuo-spatial skills and short-term memory (STM abilities on quantification processes. This study examines this issue in patients with Turner syndrome (TS, a genetic condition characterized by a specific cognitive profile frequently associating poor mathematical achievement, low spatial skills and reduced STM abilities. In order to identify the influence of visuo-spatial and STM processing on numerical magnitude abilities, twenty female participants with TS and twenty control female participants matched for verbal IQ and education level were administered a series of magnitude comparison tasks. The tasks differed on the nature of the magnitude to be processed (continuous, discrete and symbolic magnitude, on visuo-spatial processing requirement (no/high and on STM demands (low in simultaneous presentation vs. high in sequential presentation. Our results showed a lower acuity when participants with TS compared the numerical magnitudes of stimuli presented sequentially (low visuo-spatial processing and high STM load: Dot sequence and Sound sequence while no difference was observed in the numerical comparison of sets presented simultaneously. In addition, the group difference in sequential tasks disappeared when controlling for STM abilities. Finally, both groups demonstrated similar performance when comparing continuous or symbolic magnitude stimuli and they exhibited comparable subitizing abilities. These results highlight the importance of STM abilities in extracting numerosity through a sequential presentation and underline the importance of considering the impact of format presentation on magnitude judgments.

  11. To Further the Near-Vision Visual Acuity Tests (3): For a Test Which Saves Time, Labor, and Expenses

    OpenAIRE

    高橋, ひとみ; 川端, 秀仁; 衞藤, 隆

    2014-01-01

    The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan has its advisory board to review the list of medical checkup for school children every ten years. In August 2013 the board found that there was a considerable number of school children who had poor near vision and thus learn in the class less efficiently. The board recommended that the Ministry consider whether to include a near-vision visual acuity test in a regular medical examination at school. It may not be known ...

  12. Efficient visual object and word recognition relies on high spatial frequency coding in the left posterior fusiform gyrus: evidence from a case-series of patients with ventral occipito-temporal cortex damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Daniel J; Woollams, Anna M; Kim, Esther; Beeson, Pelagie M; Rapcsak, Steven Z; Lambon Ralph, Matthew A

    2013-11-01

    Recent visual neuroscience investigations suggest that ventral occipito-temporal cortex is retinotopically organized, with high acuity foveal input projecting primarily to the posterior fusiform gyrus (pFG), making this region crucial for coding high spatial frequency information. Because high spatial frequencies are critical for fine-grained visual discrimination, we hypothesized that damage to the left pFG should have an adverse effect not only on efficient reading, as observed in pure alexia, but also on the processing of complex non-orthographic visual stimuli. Consistent with this hypothesis, we obtained evidence that a large case series (n = 20) of patients with lesions centered on left pFG: 1) Exhibited reduced sensitivity to high spatial frequencies; 2) demonstrated prolonged response latencies both in reading (pure alexia) and object naming; and 3) were especially sensitive to visual complexity and similarity when discriminating between novel visual patterns. These results suggest that the patients' dual reading and non-orthographic recognition impairments have a common underlying mechanism and reflect the loss of high spatial frequency visual information normally coded in the left pFG.

  13. ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VISUAL FUNCTION AND SUBRETINAL DRUSENOID DEPOSITS IN NORMAL AND EARLY AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION EYES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neely, David; Zarubina, Anna V; Clark, Mark E; Huisingh, Carrie E; Jackson, Gregory R; Zhang, Yuhua; McGwin, Gerald; Curcio, Christine A; Owsley, Cynthia

    2017-07-01

    To examine the association between subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs) identified by multimodal retinal imaging and visual function in older eyes with normal macular health or in the earliest phases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Age-related macular degeneration status for each eye was defined according to the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) 9-step classification system (normal = Step 1, early AMD = Steps 2-4) based on color fundus photographs. Visual functions measured were best-corrected photopic visual acuity, contrast and light sensitivity, mesopic visual acuity, low-luminance deficit, and rod-mediated dark adaptation. Subretinal drusenoid deposits were identified through multimodal imaging (color fundus photographs, infrared reflectance and fundus autofluorescence images, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography). The sample included 1,202 eyes (958 eyes with normal health and 244 eyes with early AMD). In normal eyes, SDDs were not associated with any visual function evaluated. In eyes with early AMD, dark adaptation was markedly delayed in eyes with SDDs versus no SDD (a 4-minute delay on average), P = 0.0213. However, this association diminished after age adjustment, P = 0.2645. Other visual functions in early AMD eyes were not associated with SDDs. In a study specifically focused on eyes in normal macular health and in the earliest phases of AMD, early AMD eyes with SDDs have slower dark adaptation, largely attributable to the older ages of eyes with SDD; they did not exhibit deficits in other visual functions. Subretinal drusenoid deposits in older eyes in normal macular health are not associated with any visual functions evaluated.

  14. The Use of Dynamic Visual Acuity as a Functional Test of Gaze Stabilization Following Space Flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peters, B. T.; Mulavara, A. P.; Brady, R.; Miller, C. A.; Richards, J. T.; Warren, L. E.; Cohen, H. S.; Bloomberg, J. J.

    2006-01-01

    After prolonged exposure to a given gravitational environment the transition to another is accompanied by adaptations in the sensorimotor subsystems, including the vestibular system. Variation in the adaptation time course of these subsystems, and the functional redundancies that exist between them make it difficult to accurately assess the functional capacity and physical limitations of astro/cosmonauts using tests on individual subsystems. While isolated tests of subsystem performance may be the only means to address where interventions are required, direct measures of performance may be more suitable for assessing the operational consequences of incomplete adaptation to changes in the gravitational environment. A test of dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is currently being used in the JSC Neurosciences Laboratory as part of a series of measures to assess the efficacy of a countermeasure to mitigate postflight locomotor dysfunction. In the current protocol, subjects visual acuity is determined using Landolt ring optotypes presented sequentially on a computer display. Visual acuity assessments are made both while standing and while walking at 1.8 m/s on a motorized treadmill. The use of a psychophysical threshold detection algorithm reduces the required number of optotype presentations and the results can be presented immediately after the test. The difference between the walking and standing acuity measures provides a metric of the change in the subject s ability to maintain gaze fixation on the visual target while walking. This functional consequence is observable regardless of the underlying subsystem most responsible for the change. Data from 15 cosmo/astronauts have been collected following long-duration (approx. 6 months) stays in space using a visual target viewing distance of 4.0 meters. An investigation of the group mean shows a change in DVA soon after the flight that asymptotes back to baseline approximately one week following their return to earth. The

  15. Visual training paired with electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain improves orientation-selective visual acuity in the rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jun Il; Groleau, Marianne; Dotigny, Florence; Giguère, Hugo; Vaucher, Elvire

    2014-07-01

    The cholinergic afferents from the basal forebrain to the primary visual cortex play a key role in visual attention and cortical plasticity. These afferent fibers modulate acute and long-term responses of visual neurons to specific stimuli. The present study evaluates whether this cholinergic modulation of visual neurons results in cortical activity and visual perception changes. Awake adult rats were exposed repeatedly for 2 weeks to an orientation-specific grating with or without coupling this visual stimulation to an electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain. The visual acuity, as measured using a visual water maze before and after the exposure to the orientation-specific grating, was increased in the group of trained rats with simultaneous basal forebrain/visual stimulation. The increase in visual acuity was not observed when visual training or basal forebrain stimulation was performed separately or when cholinergic fibers were selectively lesioned prior to the visual stimulation. The visual evoked potentials show a long-lasting increase in cortical reactivity of the primary visual cortex after coupled visual/cholinergic stimulation, as well as c-Fos immunoreactivity of both pyramidal and GABAergic interneuron. These findings demonstrate that when coupled with visual training, the cholinergic system improves visual performance for the trained orientation probably through enhancement of attentional processes and cortical plasticity in V1 related to the ratio of excitatory/inhibitory inputs. This study opens the possibility of establishing efficient rehabilitation strategies for facilitating visual capacity.

  16. Quality of life and visual acuity outcomes in the Registry in Glaucoma Outcomes Research study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coleman, Anne L; Lum, Flora C; Gliklich, Richard E; Velentgas, Priscilla; Su, Zhaohui

    2016-01-01

    The RiGOR study evaluated the association of treatment and patient-reported outcomes for open-angle glaucoma patients. The Glaucoma Symptom Scale (National Eye Institute-Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) and visual acuity (VA) were collected as quality of life measures. The proportion of patients with improvement of at least two lines of vision was highest in the incisional surgery group (14.2% compared with 9.9% for laser surgery and 10.9% for additional medication). No clinically relevant differences were seen in benefit for the laser surgery or incisional surgery groups compared with additional medications for the Glaucoma Symptom Scale or NEI-VFQ measures or subscales. Differences in quality of life by race need to be explored in further studies.

  17. Visual acuity with simulated and real astigmatic defocus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohlendorf, Arne; Tabernero, Juan; Schaeffel, Frank

    2011-05-01

    To compare the effects of "simulated" and "real" spherical and astigmatic defocus on visual acuity (VA). VA was determined with letter charts that were blurred by calculated spherical or astigmatic defocus (simulated defocus) or were seen through spherical or astigmatic trial lenses (real defocus). Defocus was simulated using ZEMAX and the Liou-Brennan eye model. Nine subjects participated [mean age, 27.2 ± 1.8 years; logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), -0.1]. Three different experiments were conducted in which VA was reduced by 20% (logMAR 0.0), 50% (logMAR 0.2), or 75% (logMAR 0.5) by either (1) imposing positive spherical defocus, (2) imposing positive and negative astigmatic defocus in three axes (0, 45, and 90°), and (3) imposing cross-cylinder defocus in the same three axes as in (2). Experiment (1): there were only minor differences in VA with simulated and real positive spherical defocus. Experiment (2): simulated astigmatic defocus reduced VA twice as much as real astigmatic defocus in all tested axes (p < 0.01 in all cases). Experiment (3): simulated cross-cylinder defocus reduced VA much more than real cross-cylinder defocus (p < 0.01 in all cases), similarly for all three tested axes. The visual system appears more tolerant against "real" spherical, astigmatic, and cross-cylinder defocus than against "simulated" blur. Possible reasons could be (1) limitations in the modeling procedures to simulate defocus, (2) higher ocular aberrations, and (3) fluctuations of accommodation. However, the two optical explanations (2) and (3) cannot account for the magnitude of the effect, and (1) was carefully analyzed. It is proposed that something may be special about the visual processing of real astigmatic and cross-cylinder defocus-because they have less effect on VA than simulations predict.

  18. Dynamic visual acuity during transient and sinusoidal yaw rotation in normal and unilaterally vestibulopathic humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, J R; Shubayev, I; Demer, J L

    2001-03-01

    The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) stabilizes gaze to permit clear vision during head movements. It has been supposed that VOR function might be inferred from dynamic visual acuity (DVA), the acuity during imposed head motion. We sought to determine effectiveness of DVA for detection and lateralization of unilateral vestibulopathy, using rigorous psychophysical methods. Seventeen normal and 11 unilaterally vestibulopathic subjects underwent measurement of optically best corrected DVA during head motion. A variable size letter "E" 6 m distant was displayed in oblique random orientations to determine binocular DVA by a computer controlled, forced choice method. Three types of whole-body yaw rotation were delivered by a servo-controlled chair synchronized with optotype presentation. Two types of motion were predictable: (1) steady-state 2.0-Hz rotation at 10-130 degrees/s peak velocity with repetitive optotype presentation only during head velocity exceeding 80% of peak; and (2) directionally predictable transients at peak accelerations of 1000, 1600 and 2800 degrees/s2 with optotype presentation for 300 ms. For neither of these predictable motions did DVA in vestibulopathic subjects significantly differ from normal, with suggestions from search coil recordings that this was due to predictive slow and saccadic eye movements. Unilaterally vestibulopathic subjects experienced a significant decrease in DVA from the static condition during ipsilesional rotation for all three peak head accelerations. Only during directionally unpredictable transients with 75 ms or 300 ms optotype presentation was the sensitivity of DVA in unilaterally vestibulopathic subjects significantly abnormal during ipsilesional rotation. The ipsilesional decrease in DVA with head motion was greater for 75 ms than 300 ms optotype presentation. Search coil recordings confirmed hypometric compensatory eye movements during DVA testing with unpredictable, ipsilesional rotation. Receiver

  19. Sensorineural hearing loss degrades behavioral and physiological measures of human spatial selective auditory attention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Lengshi; Best, Virginia; Shinn-Cunningham, Barbara G.

    2018-01-01

    Listeners with sensorineural hearing loss often have trouble understanding speech amid other voices. While poor spatial hearing is often implicated, direct evidence is weak; moreover, studies suggest that reduced audibility and degraded spectrotemporal coding may explain such problems. We hypothesized that poor spatial acuity leads to difficulty deploying selective attention, which normally filters out distracting sounds. In listeners with normal hearing, selective attention causes changes in the neural responses evoked by competing sounds, which can be used to quantify the effectiveness of attentional control. Here, we used behavior and electroencephalography to explore whether control of selective auditory attention is degraded in hearing-impaired (HI) listeners. Normal-hearing (NH) and HI listeners identified a simple melody presented simultaneously with two competing melodies, each simulated from different lateral angles. We quantified performance and attentional modulation of cortical responses evoked by these competing streams. Compared with NH listeners, HI listeners had poorer sensitivity to spatial cues, performed more poorly on the selective attention task, and showed less robust attentional modulation of cortical responses. Moreover, across NH and HI individuals, these measures were correlated. While both groups showed cortical suppression of distracting streams, this modulation was weaker in HI listeners, especially when attending to a target at midline, surrounded by competing streams. These findings suggest that hearing loss interferes with the ability to filter out sound sources based on location, contributing to communication difficulties in social situations. These findings also have implications for technologies aiming to use neural signals to guide hearing aid processing. PMID:29555752

  20. Application of a portable microcomputer mental acuity battery for fitness-for-duty assessment in power plant operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kennedy, R.S.; Turnage, J.T.; Lane, N.E.

    1988-01-01

    A need exists for assessment of fitness-for-duty in power plants. Several microcomputer-based mental acuity test batteries are under development for objective assessment of human performance over repeated measures. One of these, the Automated Performance Test System (APTS), has been shown to be sensitive to various environments and treatments and could prove useful for this purpose. Tests from these batteries should be studied during the naturally occurring stresses of power plant activity (e.g., shift work, sustained operations, sleep deprivation, stressful periods) in order to establish the effects of such issues on performance, and to provide insights and scientific data for the development of standards and regulations

  1. [The influence of IOL implantation on visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and colour vision 2 and 4 months after cataract surgery].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventruba, J

    2006-04-01

    To assess the change in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and colour vision in relation to the time after cataract surgery and to the type of implanted IOL, and to compare visual functions by patients with one and two pseudophakic eyes. 45 cataract patients were examined before and then 2 and 4 month after the cataract surgery. Visual acuity (VA) was tested on logMAR optotype chart with Landolt rings, contrast sensitivity (CS) was tested on the Pelli-Robson chart and the SWCT chart. For colour vision (CV) testing, the standard Farnsworth D-15 test and the desaturated Lanthony D-15 test were used. The patients were divided into two groups--a group with one pseudophakic eye and a group with two pseudophakic eyes, and also according to the type of IOL--PMMA or hydrophobic acrylate that had been implanted. Control group was composed of phakic subjects with no ocular pathology. After the cataract surgery, in both groups there was a significant improvement in monocular and binocular VA (p test (p test (p tested by means of psychophysical methods of VA, CS and CV significantly improve and are stable 2 month after the surgery. The second eye surgery improves binocular visual functions the level of which doesn't differ from that of normal phakic subjects. There was no influence of the type of IOL on final state of VA, CS or CV.

  2. Higher order optical aberrations and visual acuity in a randomized controlled trial comparing transepithelial versus epithelium-off corneal crosslinking for progressive keratoconus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Godefrooij DA

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Daniel A Godefrooij, Mustapha El Kandoussi, Nienke Soeters, Robert PL Wisse Utrecht Cornea Research Group, Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of transepithelial crosslinking (trans-CXL versus epithelium-off crosslinking (epi-off CXL for progressive keratoconus with respect to the development of higher order aberrations (HOAs and their effects on visual acuity.Materials and methods: A total of 61 patients were randomized and examined preoperatively and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively in an academic referral center. Total corneal HOAs were compared between the two treatment groups using mixed linear modeling. Types of HOAs (coma, trefoil, and spherical aberration that differed between groups were entered in a multivariable analysis to test their effect on uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA.Results: The epi-off CXL group had more flattening in maximal keratometry compared to the trans-CXL group (P=0.02. UDVA did not differ significantly between the groups (P=0.59; however, CDVA was significantly more improved in the trans-CXL group (P=0.02. Horizontal trefoil improved more in the epi-off group compared to the trans-CXL group (P=0.04, whereas the other HOAs were virtually unchanged in both groups. Differences in changes in HOAs between the two groups had no effect on either UCVA (P=0.76 or CDVA (P=0.96.Conclusion: Although HOAs are clinically relevant determinants of vision quality in keratoconus patients, the change in total HOAs post treatment did not differ between the trans-CXL and epi-off CXL groups. Only horizontal trefoil differed significantly post treatment between the trans-CXL and epi-off CXL groups. However, this difference did not independently affect either UDVA or CDVA. Trans-CXL provides no benefit over epi-off CXL regarding visual relevant HOAs. Keywords

  3. Sex differences in the shoulder joint position sense acuity: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vafadar, Amir K; Côté, Julie N; Archambault, Philippe S

    2015-09-30

    Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) is the most expensive form of work disability. Female sex has been considered as an individual risk factor for the development of WMSD, specifically in the neck and shoulder region. One of the factors that might contribute to the higher injury rate in women is possible differences in neuromuscular control. Accordingly the purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of sex on shoulder joint position sense acuity (as a part of shoulder neuromuscular control) in healthy individuals. Twenty-eight healthy participants, 14 females and 14 males were recruited for this study. To test position sense acuity, subjects were asked to flex their dominant shoulder to one of the three pre-defined angle ranges (low, mid and high-ranges) with eyes closed, hold their arm in that position for three seconds, go back to the starting position and then immediately replicate the same joint flexion angle, while the difference between the reproduced and original angle was taken as the measure of position sense error. The errors were measured using Vicon motion capture system. Subjects reproduced nine positions in total (3 ranges × 3 trials each). Calculation of absolute repositioning error (magnitude of error) showed no significant difference between men and women (p-value ≥ 0.05). However, the analysis of the direction of error (constant error) showed a significant difference between the sexes, as women tended to mostly overestimate the target, whereas men tended to both overestimate and underestimate the target (p-value ≤ 0.01, observed power = 0.79). The results also showed that men had a significantly more variable error, indicating more variability in their position sense, compared to women (p-value ≤ 0.05, observed power = 0.78). Differences observed in the constant JPS error suggest that men and women might use different neuromuscular control strategies in the upper limb. In addition, higher JPS

  4. An Audit of Visual Acuity using a Snellen chart for Residents in a Care home, aged 65years or over

    OpenAIRE

    Ward, Hannah

    2012-01-01

    Background: Visual impairment (VI) is highly prevalent, but currently remains untreated and preventable in Britain‟s older population (Evans, Fletcher, Wormald et al. 2002). Eighty percent of all VI can be avoided or treated (WHO, 2011). People in residential or nursing homes are at a higher risk of having their eye problems overlooked (Pols, Bates, McGraw et al. 2000). Aim: To conduct an audit of visual acuity (VA), a measure of VI against a national standard, the British Geriatric Societ...

  5. Comparison of Visual Function in Older Eyes in the Earliest Stages of Age-related Macular Degeneration to Those in Normal Macular Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owsley, Cynthia; Huisingh, Carrie; Clark, Mark E; Jackson, Gregory R; McGwin, Gerald

    2016-01-01

    To compare the ability of several visual functional tests in terms of the strength of their associations with the earliest phases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which bears on their potential to serve as functional endpoints in evaluating treatments for early AMD and prevention strategies. Eyes from adults ≥60 years old were identified as being in normal macular health or in the earliest stages of AMD (steps 2, 3 or 4) through grading of color stereo-fundus photos by an experienced grader masked to all other study variables who used the 9-step Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) classification system for AMD severity. Visual function was assessed using the following tests: best-corrected visual acuity, low luminance visual acuity, spatial contrast sensitivity, macular cone-mediated light sensitivity and rod-mediated dark adaptation. A total of 1260 eyes were tested from 640 participants; 1007 eyes were in normal macular health (defined as step 1 in AREDS system) and 253 eyes had early AMD (defined as steps 2, 3 or 4). Adjusting for age and gender, early AMD eyes had two times the odds of having delayed rod-mediated dark adaptation than eyes in normal macular health (p = 0.0019). Visual acuity, low luminance acuity, spatial contrast sensitivity and macular light sensitivity did not differ between normal eyes and early AMD eyes. Eyes in the earliest phases of AMD were two times more likely to have delayed rod-mediated dark adaptation, as assessed by the rod-intercept, as compared to older eyes in normal macular health, whereas there was no difference in early AMD versus normal eyes in tests of visual acuity, low luminance acuity, macular light sensitivity and spatial contrast sensitivity.

  6. Development of motion-defined figure-ground segregation in preschool and older children, using a letter-identification task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giaschi, D; Regan, D

    1997-09-01

    Three-month-old infants can discriminate motion-defined (MD) form, but we do not know the age at which this ability reaches adult levels. Previous psychophysical evidence suggests that different neural mechanisms are involved in the processing of luminance-defined (LD) and MD spatial form in adults. This difference may be reflected in the development of LD versus MD form identification in children. We measured speed threshold for identifying MD letters, letter-chart (i.e, Snellen) acuity for high-contrast LD letters and single-letter acuity for high- and low-contrast LD letters. Forty-seven children between 3 and 12 years of age and 20 adult subjects were tested. Development to the adult level was observed as follows: low-contrast single-letter acuity before 3 years; high-contrast single-letter acuity by 5 to 6 years; the ability to identify MD letters by 7 to 8 years; letter-chart acuity by 9 to 10 years. MD form identification continues to mature in preschool children. LD form identification also matures in this age group but with a different time course. MD letters are not equivalent to low-contrast letters developmentally. Our findings provide further support for the hypothesis that the spatial aspects of MD and LD form are processed separately to some extent.

  7. The Spatial Politics of Spatial Representation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Kristian; Richardson, Tim

    2011-01-01

    spatial planning in Denmark reveals how fuzzy spatial representations and relational spatial concepts are being used to depoliticise strategic spatial planning processes and to camouflage spatial politics. The paper concludes that, while relational geography might play an important role in building......This paper explores the interplay between the spatial politics of new governance landscapes and innovations in the use of spatial representations in planning. The central premise is that planning experiments with new relational approaches become enmeshed in spatial politics. The case of strategic...

  8. Prenatal Co 60-irradiation effects on visual acuity, maturation of the fovea in the retina, and the striate cortex of squirrel monkey offspring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ordy, J.M.; Brizzee, K.R.; Young, R.

    1982-01-01

    In the present study, foveal striate cortex depth increased significantly from 1400 μm to 1650 μm by 90 days, whereas prenatal 100 rad exposure resulted in a significant reduction of foveal striate cortex thickness at 90 days of age. From birth to 90 days, cell packing density decreased, whereas overall neuropil density increased in both control and 100 rad exposed offspring. Regarding the effects of prenatal radiation on Meynert cells, there was a significant difference in the time course of early postnatal spine frequency reduction on apical dendrites of Meynert cells, particularly in laminae V and IV. It seems possible that the significant differences in the time course of perinatal increases and subsequent decreases of spines and synapses on such pyramidal neurons as Meynert cells in the deep layers of the striate cortex may play an important role in the development of binocular acuity. Future follow-up studies will be essential from 90 days to 1 and 2 years to determine the extent of recovery from, and persistence of visual acuity impairments in relation to structural alterations in the foveal projection of the retino-geniculo-striate system of diurnal primates. (orig./MG)

  9. Age norms for monocular grating acuity measured by sweep-VEP in the first three years of age Estudo normativo de acuidade visual de resolução de grades medido pelo PVE de varredura nos três primeiros anos de vida

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Solange Rios Salomão

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To determine age norms for grating visual acuity and interocular acuity differences measured by the sweep-visually evoked potentials (VEP technique in the first three years of life. METHODS: Monocular grating visual acuity was measured using the sweep-VEP in 67 healthy normal infants and children in the first 36 months of life. RESULTS: Sweep-VEP grating acuity ranged from 0.80 logMAR (20/125 Snellen equivalent in the first month of life to 0.06 logMAR (20/20 Snellen equivalent at 36 months of age. Lower normal limits (95th percentile limit ranged from 0.95 logMAR (20/180 to 0.12 logMAR (20/25 with a progression of approximately 3 octaves in the first 36 months of age. The largest acceptable interocular acuity difference for clinical purposes was 0.10 logMAR. CONCLUSIONS: Age norms for grating acuity along with interocular acuity differences were determined using the sweep-VEP technique. These norms should be incorporated in clinical practice for precise diagnosis of visual status in infants and preverbal children.OBJETIVOS: Propor valores normativos de acuidade visual de grades e sua respectiva diferença interocular medidas pelo potencial visual evocado de varredura nos primeiros três anos de vida. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliadas 67 crianças sadias, sem doenças oculares, que tiveram a acuidade visual medida pelos potenciais evocados visuais de varredura. RESULTADOS: A acuidade visual média variou de 0,80 logMAR (equivalente de Snellen de 20/125 no primeiro mês de vida a 0,06 logMAR (equivalente de Snellen de 20/20 aos 36 meses. Os limites normais inferiores (percentil 95% variaram de 0,95 logMAR (20/180 a 0,12 logMAR (20/25 com progressão de aproximadamente 3 oitavas nos primeiros 36 meses de vida. A diferença interocular máxima aceitável foi de 0,10 logMAR. CONCLUSÕES: Os valores normativos de acuidade visual e de diferença interocular de acuidade foram obtidos pela técnica do potencial visual evocado de varredura. Prop

  10. Measuring and modeling intraocular light scatter with Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing and the effects of nuclear cataract on the measurement of wavefront error

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donnelly, William J., III

    scatter metrics is attributed to the transition to mostly Mie scatter associated with larger particles and increased density. Both physical and computer cataract models can be used to provide insight into what is being captured in a S/H image and to improve instrument design. The ability of forward scatter metrics derived from S/H measurements to predict cataract severity for a longitudinal study is optimized by selecting a patient specific exposure at the initial cataract assessment to maximize the dynamic range of the system. Under various exposure and nuclear cataract conditions, the difference in RMS wavefront error between a 1.5-pass S/H image and a 1-pass S/H image does not reach the threshold of being visually significant for Photopic High Contrast and Mesopic Low Contrast acuity. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

  11. On the role of spatial phase and phase correlation in vision, illusion, and cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gladilin, Evgeny; Eils, Roland

    2015-01-01

    Numerous findings indicate that spatial phase bears an important cognitive information. Distortion of phase affects topology of edge structures and makes images unrecognizable. In turn, appropriately phase-structured patterns give rise to various illusions of virtual image content and apparent motion. Despite a large body of phenomenological evidence not much is known yet about the role of phase information in neural mechanisms of visual perception and cognition. Here, we are concerned with analysis of the role of spatial phase in computational and biological vision, emergence of visual illusions and pattern recognition. We hypothesize that fundamental importance of phase information for invariant retrieval of structural image features and motion detection promoted development of phase-based mechanisms of neural image processing in course of evolution of biological vision. Using an extension of Fourier phase correlation technique, we show that the core functions of visual system such as motion detection and pattern recognition can be facilitated by the same basic mechanism. Our analysis suggests that emergence of visual illusions can be attributed to presence of coherently phase-shifted repetitive patterns as well as the effects of acuity compensation by saccadic eye movements. We speculate that biological vision relies on perceptual mechanisms effectively similar to phase correlation, and predict neural features of visual pattern (dis)similarity that can be used for experimental validation of our hypothesis of "cognition by phase correlation."

  12. On the role of spatial phase and phase correlation in vision, illusion and cognition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evgeny eGladilin

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Numerous findings indicate that spatial phase bears an important cognitive information. Distortion of phase affects topology of edge structures and makes images unrecognizable. In turn, appropriately phase-structured patterns give rise to various illusions of virtual image content and apparent motion. Despite a large body of phenomenological evidence not much is known yet about the role of phase information in neural mechanisms of visual perception and cognition. Here, we are concerned with analysis of the role of spatial phase in computational and biological vision, emergence of visual illusions and pattern recognition. We hypothesize that fundamental importance of phase information for invariant retrieval of structural image features and motion detection promoted development of phase-based mechanisms of neural image processing in course of evolution of biological vision. Using an extension of Fourier phase correlation technique, we show that the core functions of visual system such as motion detection and pattern recognition can be facilitated by the same basic mechanism. Our analysis suggests that emergence of visual illusions can be attributed to presence of coherently phase-shifted repetitive patterns as well as the effects of acuity compensation by saccadic eye movements. We speculate that biological vision relies on perceptual mechanisms effectively similar to phase correlation, and predict neural features of visual pattern (dissimilarity that can be used for experimental validation of our hypothesis of 'cognition by phase correlation'.

  13. Correlation between SD-OCT, immunocytochemistry and functional findings in a pigmented animal model of retinal degeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolás eCuenca

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The P23H rhodopsin mutation is an autosomal dominant cause of retinitis pigmentosa. The degeneration can be tracked using different anatomical and functional methods. In our case, we evaluated the anatomical changes using Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT and correlated the findings with retinal thickness values determined by immunocytochemistry.Methods: Pigmented rats heterozygous for the P23H mutation, with ages between P18 and P180 were studied. Function was assessed by means of optomotor testing and ERGs. Retinal thicknesses measurements, autofluorescence and fluorescein angiography were performed using Spectralis OCT. Retinas were studied by means of immunohistochemistry. Results: Between P30 and P180, visual acuity decreased from 0.500 to 0.182 cycles per degree (cyc/deg and contrast sensitivity decreased from 54.56 to 2.98 for a spatial frequency of 0.089 cyc/deg. Only cone-driven b-wave responses reached developmental maturity. Flicker fusions were also comparable at P29 (42 Hz. Double flash-isolated rod-driven responses were already affected at P29. Photopic responses revealed deterioration after P29.A reduction in retinal thicknesses and morphological modifications were seen in OCT sections. Statistically significant differences were found in all evaluated thicknesses. Autofluorescence was seen in P23H rats as sparse dots. Immunocytochemistry showed a progressive decrease in the outer nuclear layer, and morphological changes. Although anatomical thickness measures were significantly lower than OCT values, there was a very strong correlation between the values measured by both techniques.Conclusions: In pigmented P23H rats, a progressive deterioration occurs in both retinal function and anatomy. Anatomical changes can be effectively evaluated using SD-OCT and immunocytochemistry, with a good correlation between their values, thus making SD-OCT an important tool for research in retinal degeneration.

  14. THAI-SPICE: Testbed for High-Acuity Imaging – Stable Photometry and ImageMotion Compensation Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Eliot

    THAI-SPICE is the Testbed for High-Acuity Imaging - Stable Photometry and ImageMotion Compensation Experiment - It is a lead proposal, accompanied by a coInstitutional proposal from MIT LL. The overarching goal of THAI-SPICE is to advance balloonborne telescopes to the point where they can surpass HST in terms of spatial resolution in visible wavelengths and surpass the Kepler mission in terms of observing exoplanet transits. Balloon-borne telescopes are becoming an important part of NASA's observing programs - each 100-day super-pressure balloon flight will provide 1000 hours of dark time observing, equivalent to about 1/3 of the total on-target time allocated in an HST cycle across its entire portfolio of science programs. However, balloon-borne telescopes face unique challenges from the stratospheric thermal environment and the pointing stability of a suspended platform. This proposal will study and test three areas of development that will enable high-acuity image quality and stable photometry from balloon-borne telescopes. - Passive thermal control and stabilization of balloon-borne OTAs (Optical Tube Assemblies). Recent modeling suggests that an appropriate arrangement of sunshields, earth-shields and telescope insulation can reduce diurnal temperature excursions from more than 40°C to less than 2°C. Furthermore, modeling also suggests that the steadystate temperature of an OTA can be reduced to temperatures near 180 K, an advantage for infrared observing programs. However, most modeling packages (e.g., Thermal Desktop) do not accurately account for convection in the 3 torr or 8 torr environment of zeropressure or super-pressure balloons. In fact, it is hard to tell whether radiation or convection is a more significant cooling mechanism at super-pressure balloon altitudes. We propose to verify or update Thermal Desktop results with a series of experiments using an instrumented OTA and sun- and earth-shields. The payoff from this experiment will be balloon

  15. LONG-TERM RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF VISUAL ACUITY AND OPTICAL COHERENCE TOPOGRAPHIC CHANGES AFTER SINGLE VERSUS DOUBLE PEELING DURING VITRECTOMY FOR MACULAR EPIRETINAL MEMBRANES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jesse J; Hoang, Quan V; Ridley-Lane, Megan L; Sebrow, Dov B; Dhrami-Gavazi, Elona; Chang, Stanley

    2016-11-01

    To determine the long-term effect of internal limiting membrane with associated epiretinal membrane (ERM) peeling versus single peeling alone in terms of best-corrected visual acuity and anatomical outcomes on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. This retrospective comparative cohort study of patients who had follow-up of >1 year and underwent surgery for ERM by a single surgeon (S.C.) from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012 compared cases in which the internal limiting membrane was stained with brilliant blue G to facilitate double peeling (n = 42) and single peeling (n = 43) of the ERM alone for up to 3 years of follow-up. For continuous variables, an independent two-tailed t-test was performed. For binary variables, the Fisher's exact test was performed. Statistical significance was defined as P peeling group were more likely to have ERM remaining in the central fovea postoperatively (P = 0.0020, becoming significant by postoperative Year 1, P = 0.022) and less likely to develop inner retinal dimpling (P = 0.000, becoming significant by postoperative Month 3, P = 0.015). At 3 years, central foveal thickness had decreased in the single-peeling group by -136.9 µm and by -84.1 μm in the double-peeling group, which was not significantly different (P = 0.08). Mean best-corrected visual acuity improved in both the groups at all time points. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups at 3 years (P = 0.44; single-peeling group, 0.32 ± 0.42, Snellen 20/42; double-peeling group, 0.23 ± 0.27, Snellen 20/34). Brilliant blue G-assisted internal limiting membrane peeling for ERM results in a more thorough removal of residual ERM around the paracentral fovea. However, there is no difference in long-term best-corrected visual acuity at 3 years and a greater likelihood of inner retinal dimpling.

  16. Interocular differences in visual quality due to ocular aberrations and scattering in a patient with post-traumatic anisocoria: A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrés Gené-Sampedro

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available A 41-year-old patient with visual disturbances after an ocular trauma in right eye three years before was carefully analyzed and discussed. No corneal or intraocular sequelae were present. Only a significant anisocoria could be observed. Right eye (RE achieved a best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA of 0.05 LogMAR with a refraction of +0.50 sphere and −1.25 cylinder. Left eye (LE achieved a BSCVA of 0.0 LogMAR with a refraction of +0.75 sphere and −1.00 cylinder. In photopic conditions pupil diameter was 4.96 mm for RE and 3.02 mm for LE whereas in scotopic conditions, these values were 7.45 mm and 6.71 mm, respectively. More significant levels of higher-order corneal and ocular aberrations were found in RE for the same pupil size. In addition, the scattering index (OSI was 3.8 in RE and 1.0 in LE (4-mm pupil. In conclusion, anisocoria can lead to relevant visual disturbances if significant interocular differences in ocular aberrations and scattering are present.

  17. [Epidemiological Study of Poor Visual Acuity among Schoolchildren in Bonin Islands].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ito, Misae; Shimizu, Kimiya; Kawamorita, Takushi; Shoji, Nobuyuki

    2016-04-01

    To investigate the change in uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) among schoolchildren in Bonin Islands. UCVA of schoolchildren aged 6 to 14 years, was collected from reports of School Health Examination Surveys conducted from 1981 to 2012. The proportion of schoolchildren with poor UCVA in the Bonin Islands was compared with those in metropolitan Tokyo. The results in Bonin Islands were also divided into two groups, before- and after-1996 when terrestrial television broadcasting service has been started, and the data of those two groups were compared. The proportion of schoolchildren with poor UCVA in Bonin Islands was lower than that in Tokyo. Among the residents of Bonin Islands, the proportion of schoolchildren with UCVA of < 1.0 was higher in the after-1996 group than in the before- 1996 group, with a clear increase in schoolchildren with poor UCVA after 1996 (p < 0.01, Fisher's exact test), examined among the 4th grade of elementary school or above. After 1996, 26.6% of first graders at a public junior high school had poor UCVA of < 0.7, whereas before 1996 no such case could be detected. The present study revealed that the proportions of schoolchildren with poor UCVA in Bonin Islands was lower than that in Tokyo; but in the residents of Bonin Islands after 1996, the proportion of the schoolchildren with poor UCVA increased.

  18. Testing the generality of the zoom-lens model: Evidence for visual-pathway specific effects of attended-region size on perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodhew, Stephanie C; Lawrence, Rebecca K; Edwards, Mark

    2017-05-01

    There are volumes of information available to process in visual scenes. Visual spatial attention is a critically important selection mechanism that prevents these volumes from overwhelming our visual system's limited-capacity processing resources. We were interested in understanding the effect of the size of the attended area on visual perception. The prevailing model of attended-region size across cognition, perception, and neuroscience is the zoom-lens model. This model stipulates that the magnitude of perceptual processing enhancement is inversely related to the size of the attended region, such that a narrow attended-region facilitates greater perceptual enhancement than a wider region. Yet visual processing is subserved by two major visual pathways (magnocellular and parvocellular) that operate with a degree of independence in early visual processing and encode contrasting visual information. Historically, testing of the zoom-lens has used measures of spatial acuity ideally suited to parvocellular processing. This, therefore, raises questions about the generality of the zoom-lens model to different aspects of visual perception. We found that while a narrow attended-region facilitated spatial acuity and the perception of high spatial frequency targets, it had no impact on either temporal acuity or the perception of low spatial frequency targets. This pattern also held up when targets were not presented centrally. This supports the notion that visual attended-region size has dissociable effects on magnocellular versus parvocellular mediated visual processing.

  19. SURGICAL REMOVAL OF EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE WITH AND WITHOUT REMOVAL OF INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE: Comparative Study of Visual Acuity, Features of Optical Coherence Tomography, and Recurrence Rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Novelli, Fernando J; Goldbaum, Mauro; Monteiro, Mario L R; Bom Aggio, Fabio; Takahashi, Walter Y

    2017-12-05

    To study and compare visual acuity, foveal thickness, outer limiting layer, ellipsoid zone, and recurrence rate in patients undergoing removal of the epiretinal membrane with and without the removal of the internal limiting membrane (ILM). Sixty-three patients who had the epiretinal membrane removed by a single surgeon were randomly assigned into 2 groups: Group 1 without additional removal of the ILM and Group 2 with removal of the ILM. Patients were followed up and evaluated at the first month, third month, and sixth month, postoperatively. Patients from both groups had a gradual improvement in their vision over time. There was no significant difference in the improvement in visual acuity between the two groups. About tomographic assessment of alterations, no significant differences were found between the groups; however, Group 1 had a higher relapse rate (17%) compared with Group 2 (3.6%) (P = 0.09). Epiretinal membrane removal with and without ILM peeling shows similar functional and anatomical improvements, but the group in which the ILM was not removed seemed to have a higher recurrence rate.

  20. Uncorrected visual acuity in the immediate postoperative period following uncomplicated cataract surgery: bimanual microincision cataract surgery versus standard coaxial phacoemulsification.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Saeed, Ayman

    2012-02-01

    AIM: We compared bimanual microincision cataract surgery (MICS) and standard coaxial phacoemulsification (CAP) in terms of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) recorded 1 h and 2 weeks postoperatively. METHODS: This was a prospective, nonrandomised comparative study. All MICS procedures were performed by one surgeon (MGM), and all CAP procedures were performed by another surgeon (SB). Eyes with visually consequential ocular morbidity were excluded. The primary outcome measure was UCVA recorded 1 h postoperatively. RESULTS: One hundred eyes underwent MICS and CAP (50 eyes in each group). The treatment groups did not differ significantly in terms of preoperative mean best corrected visual acuity (6\\/24 +\\/- 4.3 lines and 6\\/20 +\\/- 4.4 lines in the MICS and the CAP groups, respectively; P = 0.65). Also, there was no significant difference in terms of postoperative UCVA at 1 h or at 2 weeks (mean +\\/- standard deviation UCVA 1 h postoperatively: MICS: 6\\/36 +\\/- 5.7 lines; CAP: 6\\/30 +\\/- 4.7 lines; P = 0.80; UCVA 2 weeks postoperatively: MICS: 6\\/10 +\\/- 1.9 lines; CAP: 6\\/10 +\\/- 2.2 lines; P = 0.90). However, nine eyes (18%) and one eye (2%) achieved a UCVA of C6\\/12 at 1 h following MICS and CAP, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Mean UCVA at 1 h and at 2 weeks following cataract surgery was not significantly different between eyes undergoing MICS and CAP. However, a greater proportion of patients achieved a UCVA of C6\\/12 following MICS when compared with CAP.

  1. Single intravitreal bevacizumab injection effects on contrast sensitivity in macular edema from branch retinal vein occlusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rony Carlos Preti

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of a single intravitreal bevacizumab injection on visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and optical coherence tomography-measured central macular thickness in eyes with macular edema from branch retinal vein occlusion. METHODS: Seventeen eyes of 17 patients with macular edema from unilateral branch retinal vein occlusion were treated with a single bevacizumab injection. Patients were submitted to a complete evaluation including best corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and optical coherence tomography measurements before treatment and one and three months after injection. Visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and optical coherence tomography measurements were compared to baseline values. RESULTS: Mean visual acuity measurement improved from 0.77 logMAR at baseline to 0.613 logMAR one month after injection (P=0.0001 but worsened to 0.75 logMAR after three months. Contrast sensitivity test demonstrated significant improvement at spatial frequencies of 3, 6, 12 and 18 cycles/degree one month after injection and at the spatial frequency of 12 cycles/degree three months after treatment. Mean ± standard deviation baseline central macular thickness (552 ± 150 µm reduced significantly one month (322 ± 127 µm, P=0.0001 and three months (439 ± 179 µm, P=0.01 after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab injection improves visual acuity and contrast sensitivity and reduces central macular thickness one month after treatment. Visual acuity returns to baseline levels at the 3-month follow-up, but some beneficial effect of the treatment is still present at that time, as evidenced by optical coherence tomography-measured central macular thickness and contrast sensitivity measurements.

  2. [Influence of Sex and Age on Contrast Sensitivity Subject to the Applied Method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darius, Sabine; Bergmann, Lisa; Blaschke, Saskia; Böckelmann, Irina

    2018-02-01

    The aim of the study was to detect gender and age differences in both photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity with different methods in relation to German driver's license regulations (Fahrerlaubnisverordnung; FeV). We examined 134 healthy volunteers (53 men, 81 women) with an age between 18 and 76 years, that had been divided into two groups (AG I Mars charts under standardized illumination were applied for photopic contrast sensitivity. We could not find any gender differences. When evaluating age, there were no differences between the two groups for the Mars charts nor in the Rodatest. In all other tests, the younger volunteers achieved significantly better results. For contrast vision, there exists age-adapted cut-off-values. Concerning the driving safety of traffic participants, sufficient photopic and mesopic contrast vision should be focused on, independent of age. Therefore, there is a need to reconsider the age-adapted cut-off-values. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  3. Proposed New Vision Standards for the 1980’s and Beyond: Contrast Sensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-09-01

    spatial frequency, visual acuity, target aquistion, visual filters, spatial filtering, target detection, recognitio identification, eye charts, workload...visual standards, as well as other performance criteria, are required to be thown relevant to "real-world" performance before acceptance. On the sur- face

  4. Diabetic macular oedema treated with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor - 2-4 years follow-up of visual acuity and retinal thickness in 566 patients following Danish national guidelines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hodzic-Hadzibegovic, Delila; Sander, Birgit Agnes; Monberg, Tine Juul

    2017-01-01

    : Retrospective cohort study of 566 eyes in 566 patients with centre-involved DME who started intravitreal treatment with ranibizumab between January 2011 and December 2013 in the Greater Copenhagen region. Data were retrieved from a database and patient records between January 2011 and March 2016 and analysed...... using mixed-model statistics. Results: At the conclusion of follow-up, 24.6% were in active ranibizumab follow-up, 25.4% had switched to other intravitreal pharmacotherapy, 31.6% had been discontinued because of disease stability, 13.8% had been lost to follow-up, 1.4% had been discontinued because...... of low visual acuity (VA), and 3.2% had died. At baseline, mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and mean central subfield thickness (CST) were 64.9 (±15.0) letters and 400.2 (±120.3) μm. Mean change in BCVA and mean change in CST from baseline to 3, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months of follow-up were +3.9, +3...

  5. Correlation between observation task performance and visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and environmental light in a simulated maritime study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koefoed, Vilhelm F; Assmuss, Jörg; Høvding, Gunnar

    2018-03-25

    To examine the relevance of visual acuity (VA) and index of contrast sensitivity (ICS) as predictors for visual observation task performance in a maritime environment. Sixty naval cadets were recruited to a study on observation tasks in a simulated maritime environment under three different light settings. Their ICS were computed based on contrast sensitivity (CS) data recorded by Optec 6500 and CSV-1000E CS tests. The correlation between object identification distance and VA/ICS was examined by stepwise linear regression. The object detection distance was significantly correlated to the level of environmental light (p maritime environment may presumably be ascribed to the normal and uniform visual capacity in all our study subjects. © 2018 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Spatial filtring and thermocouple spatial filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Bing; Tong Yunxian

    1989-12-01

    The design and study on thermocouple spatial filter have been conducted for the flow measurement of integrated reactor coolant. The fundamental principle of spatial filtring, mathematical descriptions and analyses of thermocouple spatial filter are given

  7. Visual stimulus parameters seriously compromise the measurement of approximate number system acuity and comparative effects between adults and children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denes eSzucs

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available It has been suggested that a simple non-symbolic magnitude comparison task is sufficient to measure the acuity of a putative Approximate Number System (ANS. A proposed measure of the ANS, the so-called 'internal Weber fraction' (w, would provide a clear measure of ANS acuity. However, ANS studies have never presented adequate evidence that the visual stimulus parameters did not compromise measurements of w to such extent that w is actually driven by visual instead of numerical processes. We therefore investigated this question by testing non-symbolic magnitude discrimination in seven-year-old children and adults. We controlled for visual parameters in a more stringent manner than usual. As a consequence of these controls, in some trials numerical cues correlated positively with number while in others they correlated negatively with number. This congruency effect strongly correlated with w, which means that congruency effects were probably driving effects in w. Consequently, in both adults and children congruency had a major impact on the fit of the model underlying the computation of w. Furthermore, children showed larger congruency effects than adults. This suggests that ANS tasks are seriously compromised by the visual stimulus parameters, which cannot be controlled. Hence, they are not pure measures of the ANS and some putative w or ratio effect differences between children and adults in previous ANS studies may be due to the differential influence of the visual stimulus parameters in children and adults. In addition, because the resolution of congruency effects relies on inhibitory (interference suppression function, some previous ANS findings were probably influenced by the developmental state of inhibitory processes especially when comparing children with developmental dyscalculia and typically developing children.

  8. Melatonin Production, Sleep Patterns and Modeled Performance Effectiveness in Subjects in the High Arctic

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-05-01

    de la photopériode liées aux saisons dans le Haut Arctique exercent une pression particulièrement forte sur le rythme circadien humain, ce qui peut...travaux décrits était d’étudier le rythme circadien du personnel envoyé dans le Haut Arctique en mesurant régulièrement la mélatonine fabriquée par...extrêmes de la photopériode liées aux saisons dans le Haut Arctique exercent une pression particulièrement forte sur le rythme circadien humain, ce

  9. Contrast sensitivity to spatial gratings in moderate and dim light conditions in patients with diabetes in the absence of diabetic retinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safi, Sare; Rahimi, Anoushiravan; Raeesi, Afsaneh; Safi, Hamid; Aghazadeh Amiri, Mohammad; Malek, Mojtaba; Yaseri, Mehdi; Haeri, Mohammad; Middleton, Frank A; Solessio, Eduardo; Ahmadieh, Hamid

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the ability of contrast sensitivity (CS) to discriminate loss of visual function in diabetic subjects with no clinical signs of retinopathy relative to that of normal subjects. In this prospective cross-sectional study, we measured CS in 46 diabetic subjects with a mean age of 48±6 years, a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20 and no signs of diabetic retinopathy. The CS in these subjects was compared with CS measurements in 46 normal control subjects at four spatial frequencies (3, 6, 12, 18 cycles per degree) under moderate (500 lux) and dim (less than 2 lux) background light conditions. CS was approximately 0.16 log units lower in patients with diabetes relative to controls both in moderate and in dim background light conditions. Logistic regression classification and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that CS analysis using two light conditions was more accurate (0.78) overall compared with CS analysis using only a single illumination condition (accuracy values were 0.67 and 0.70 in moderate and dim light conditions, respectively). Our results showed that patients with diabetes without clinical signs of retinopathy exhibit a uniform loss in CS at all spatial frequencies tested. Measuring the loss in CS at two spatial frequencies (3 and 6 cycles per degree) and two light conditions (moderate and dim) is sufficiently robust to classify diabetic subjects with no retinopathy versus control subjects.

  10. Changes in visual acuity in patients with malignant melanoma of the uvea treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (presentation)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mackova, K.; Waczultkova, I.; Furdova, Ad.; Furdova, Al.

    2013-01-01

    The goal was to assess the changes in visual acuity before and after 6 months of treatment, depending on the dose in risk structures (lens, optic nerve). This is a retrospective study of 19 patients group treated in 2011. The average age of the group was (57.3 ± 12.4) years (31-73 years). The analysis of the studied group did not demonstrate dependence of the tumour presence on gender. Higher prevalence of tumours was observed in the elderly population. Considered relationship of worse diagnosis with higher age (r = 0.39; p = 0.13) we could not prove to be significant due to the small group of patients. The median of melanoma volume was 0.77 cm 3 (0.11 to 1.76 cubic centimetres). The mean dose applied to melanoma was 37.34 Gy (Gy 36.74 to 44.65).

  11. Clinical and optical intraocular performance of rotationally asymmetric multifocal IOL plate-haptic design versus C-loop haptic design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alió, Jorge L; Plaza-Puche, Ana B; Javaloy, Jaime; Ayala, María José; Vega-Estrada, Alfredo

    2013-04-01

    To compare the visual and intraocular optical quality outcomes with different designs of the refractive rotationally asymmetric multifocal intraocular lens (MFIOL) (Lentis Mplus; Oculentis GmbH, Berlin, Germany) with or without capsular tension ring (CTR) implantation. One hundred thirty-five consecutive eyes of 78 patients with cataract (ages 36 to 82 years) were divided into three groups: 43 eyes implanted with the C-Loop haptic design without CTR (C-Loop haptic only group); 47 eyes implanted with the C-Loop haptic design with CTR (C-Loop haptic with CTR group); and 45 eyes implanted with the plate-haptic design (plate-haptic group). Visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, defocus curve, and ocular and intraocular optical quality were evaluated at 3 months postoperatively. Significant differences in the postoperative sphere were found (P = .01), with a more myopic postoperative refraction for the C-Loop haptic only group. No significant differences were detected in photopic and scotopic contrast sensitivity among groups (P ⩾ .05). Significantly better visual acuities were present in the C-Loop haptic with CTR group for the defocus levels of -2.0, -1.5, -1.0, and -0.50 D (P ⩽.03). Statistically significant differences among groups were found in total intraocular root mean square (RMS), high-order intraocular RMS, and intraocular coma-like RMS aberrations (P ⩽.04), with lower values from the plate-haptic group. The plate-haptic design and the C-Loop haptic design with CTR implantation both allow good visual rehabilitation. However, better refractive predictability and intraocular optical quality was obtained with the plate-haptic design without CTR implantation. The plate-haptic design seems to be a better design to support rotational asymmetric MFIOL optics. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  12. Blue light Exposure And Long-Term Deficits In Visual Function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, A. M.

    1980-10-01

    During the last 6 months of 1976, the fovea of two trained rhesus monkeys were exposed to a 10 nm bandwidth source, centered at 441 nm, at energy levels representing up to three times that required in the paramacula to cause minimal, ophthalmoscopically visible lesions to appear 48 hours postexposure (30 J/cm2 to 90 J/cm2, 1000 sec). After the acute period, a visual decrement lasting beyond 30 days postexposure occurred only for the 90 J/cm2, 1000 second fovea' exposure; the statistically significant criteria for recognition of the 20/20 (1.0 min of arc) Landolt ring target was not met, although the criteria for the 20/30 (1.5 min of arc) target was continuously met after 33 days of recovery. The animals are still regularly tested in the original protocol for visual acuity, and additionally have been examined for spectral sensitivity and changes in reaction time to the visual stimulus. During the last 6 months of 1979, only the eye originally exposed at the 90 J/cm2 level failed at any test session to meet the recognition criteria for 1.0 min targets, and all eyes met the criteria for 1.5 min targets at every session. This indicates no long-term changes in the visual acuity, ruling out physiologic repair mechanisms operating beyond the first 30 to 60 days postexposure, or long term degenerative changes accumulating after the initial recovery period. Additionally, the spectral sensitivity of the subject exposed to higher levels shows a mild red but no blue deficit for 20/50 (2.5 min) targets compared to the CIE photopic function. At 1.5 min however, the spectral sensitivity would seem to be better fit by a single photopigment curve, centered at 535 nm.

  13. A longitudinal study of visual function in carriers of X-linked recessive retinitis pigmentosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grover, S; Fishman, G A; Anderson, R J; Lindeman, M

    2000-02-01

    This study was carried out to evaluate the progression of visual function impairment in carriers of X-linked recessive retinitis pigmentosa. We also assessed the relationship between the retinal findings at presentation and the extent of deterioration. Observational, retrospective, case series. Twenty-seven carriers of X-linked recessive retinitis pigmentosa. Each carrier was clinically categorized into one of four grades (grades 0 through 3) depending on the presence or absence of a tapetal-like retinal reflex and the extent of peripheral pigmentary degeneration. A complete ophthalmologic examination was performed and data for visual acuity, visual field area, and electroretinographic measurements were collected on the most recent visit in both eyes. These were then compared with similar data obtained on their initial visits. A comparison of visual function was carried out between the initial visit and the most recent visit on each carrier. The visual acuity was measured with Snellen's acuity charts. The visual fields to targets V-4-e and II-4-e were planimeterized and used for the analysis. The electroretinographic (ERG) measures used were light-adapted single-flash b-wave amplitudes and 30-Hz red flicker for cone function, dark-adapted maximal b-wave amplitudes, and response to a low intensity blue-flash for rod function. None of the 11 carriers with a tapetal-like reflex only (grade 1) showed any significant change in visual acuity or fields as compared with 3 of 7 (43%) carriers with diffuse peripheral pigmentary findings (grade 3) who showed significant deterioration in visual acuity in at least one eye, and 6 of 7 (86%) who showed a significant decrease in visual field area with at least one target size in at least one eye. By comparison, only 1 of 10 carriers with a grade 1 fundus finding demonstrated a significant decrease in maximal dark-adapted ERG function as compared with 5 of 6 (83%) carriers with grade 3 in response to a single-flash stimulus and

  14. Effects of blue light-filtering intraocular lenses on the macula, contrast sensitivity, and color vision after a long-term follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kara-Junior, Newton; Espindola, Rodrigo F; Gomes, Beatriz A F; Ventura, Bruna; Smadja, David; Santhiago, Marcony R

    2011-12-01

    To evaluate the possible side effects and potential protection 5 years after implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL) with a blue-light filter (yellow tinted). Ophthalmology Department, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Prospective randomized clinical study. Patients with bilateral visually significant cataract randomly received an ultraviolet (UV) and blue light-filtering IOL (Acrysof Natural SN60AT) in 1 eye and an acrylic UV light-filtering only IOL (Acrysof SA60AT) in the fellow eye. The primary outcome measures were contrast sensitivity, color vision, and macular findings 5 years after surgery. The study enrolled 60 eyes of 30 patients. There were no significant clinical or optical coherence tomography findings in terms of age-related macular degeneration in any eye. There were no statistically significant differences in central macular thickness between the 2 IOL groups (P=.712). There were also no significant between-group differences under photopic or scotopic conditions at any spatial frequency studied. No statistically significant differences in the color discrimination test were found between the 2 IOL groups (P=.674). After 5 years, there were no significant differences in color perception, scotopic contrast sensitivity, or photopic contrast sensitivity between the blue light-filtering (yellow-tinted) IOL and the IOL with a UV-light filter only (untinted). The potential advantage of the tinted IOL in providing protection to macular cells remains unclear. Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Effect of aspherical and yellow tinted intraocular lens on blue-on-yellow perimetry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo França de Espíndola

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To investigate the possible effect of aspherical or yellow tinted intraocular lens (IOL on contrast sensitivity and blue-on-yellow perimetry. METHODS: This prospective randomized bilateral double-masked clinical study included 52 patients with visually significant bilateral cataracts divided in two groups; 25 patients (50 eyes received aspherical intraocular lens in one eye and spherical intraocular lens in the fellow eye; and 27 patients (54 eyes received ultraviolet and blue light filter (yellow tinted IOL implantation in one eye and acrylic ultraviolet filter IOL in the fellow eye. The primary outcome measures were contrast sensitivity and blue-on-yellow perimetry values (mean deviation [MD] and pattern standard deviation [PSD] investigated two years after surgery. The results were compared intra-individually. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant between-group (aspherical and spherical intraocular lens difference in contrast sensitivity under photopic conditions at 12 cycles per degree and under mesopic conditions at all spatial frequencies. There were no between-group significant differences (yellow tinted and clear intraocular lens under photopic or mesopic conditions. There was no statistically significant difference between all intraocular lens in MD or PSD. CONCLUSION: Contrast sensitivity was better under mesopic conditions with aspherical intraocular lens. Blue-on-yellow perimetry did not appear to be affected by aspherical or yellow tinted intraocular lens. Further studies with a larger sample should be carried out to confirm or not that hypotheses.

  16. Visual Acuity Change over 12 Months in the Prospective Progression of Atrophy Secondary to Stargardt Disease (ProgStar) Study: ProgStar Report Number 6.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Xiangrong; Strauss, Rupert W; Cideciyan, Artur V; Michaelides, Michel; Sahel, José-Alain; Munoz, Beatriz; Ahmed, Mohamed; Ervin, Ann M; West, Sheila K; Cheetham, Janet K; Scholl, Hendrik P N

    2017-11-01

    To estimate the yearly rate of change of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the risk of loss 1 line or more over 1 year and to identify risk factors for BCVA loss in patients with Stargardt disease (STGD1). Multicenter, prospective cohort study. Two hundred fifty-nine patients (489 eyes) with molecularly confirmed STGD1 enrolled at 9 centers in the United States and Europe. Participants were followed up every 6 months, and data at the baseline and 6- and 12-month visits were analyzed. Best-corrected visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) protocol. Standardized reporting forms were used to collect participants' characteristics and clinical observations. Linear mixed effects models were used to estimate the rate of BCVA loss. Linear models with generalized estimating equations were used to identify risk factors for BCVA loss of 1 line or more over 1 year. Change in BCVA over 1 year. Cross-sectional analysis at baseline showed that earlier symptom onset and longer duration since onset was associated with worse BCVA. Longitudinal analysis showed no overall significant change of BCVA within 12 months, but the rate of BCVA change was significantly different by baseline BCVA (P trials with 1 year's duration. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. The prevalence and causes of decreased visual acuity – a study based on vision screening conducted at Enukweni and Mzuzu Foundation Primary Schools, Malawi

    OpenAIRE

    Thom L; Jogessar S; McGowan SL; Lawless F

    2016-01-01

    Leaveson Thom,1 Sanchia Jogessar,1,2 Sara L McGowan,1 Fiona Lawless,1,2 1Department of Optometry, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi; 2Brienholden Vision Institute, Durban, South Africa Aim: To determine the prevalence and causes of decreased visual acuity (VA) among pupils recruited in two primary schools in Mzimba district, northern region of Malawi.Materials and methods: The study was based on the vision screening which was conducted by optometrists at Enukweni and Mzuzu Foundation Primary Sc...

  18. The prevalence and causes of decreased visual acuity – a study based on vision screening conducted at Enukweni and Mzuzu Foundation Primary Schools, Malawi

    OpenAIRE

    Thom,Leaveson; Jogessar,Sanchia; McGowan,Sara L; Lawless,Fiona

    2016-01-01

    Leaveson Thom,1 Sanchia Jogessar,1,2 Sara L McGowan,1 Fiona Lawless,1,2 1Department of Optometry, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi; 2Brienholden Vision Institute, Durban, South Africa Aim: To determine the prevalence and causes of decreased visual acuity (VA) among pupils recruited in two primary schools in Mzimba district, northern region of Malawi.Materials and methods: The study was based on the vision screening which was conducted by optometrists at Enukweni and Mzuzu Foundation Primary Sc...

  19. A New Acute Attack of Angle Closure Glaucoma Animal Model with Healon 5

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvania Y. F. Lau

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Acute angle closure glaucoma (AACG is an ocular emergency and sight -threatening disease in which the intraocular ocular pressure (IOP rises suddenly due to blockage of aqueous humor outflow. It can cause permanent loss in visual acuity and visual field. In animal study, the well-established model to study AACG is by fluid infusion and by adjusting the bottle level, a high IOP can be induced in a few seconds. However, there is no blockage of aqueous outflow and the pressure rise is unrealistically fast. To mimic human AACG, we suggest to use Healon 5, an ophthalmic viscosurgical device, which is injected intracamerally to block the aqueous outflow. The IOP is allowed to build up naturally. We found that, with this technique, the IOP elevated at a rate of 0.57 mmHg/min before it hit 40 mmHg, which is considered as AACG in human. The maximum IOP registered was above 70 mmHg. Thinning of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL and neural cells lost were seen. Visual function evaluated by ERG showed reduction in a-wave, b-wave, photopic negative response (PhNR and oscillatory potentials (OPs activities. In conclusion, Healon 5 is effective in inducing acute transient rise in IOP which mimics human AACG.

  20. Non-standard spatial statistics and spatial econometrics

    CERN Document Server

    Griffith, Daniel A

    2011-01-01

    Spatial statistics and spatial econometrics are recent sprouts of the tree "spatial analysis with measurement". Still, several general themes have emerged. Exploring selected fields of possible interest is tantalizing, and this is what the authors aim here.

  1. The Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Anterior Segment Parameters, Visual Acuity and Intraocular Pressures of the Eye.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selver, Ozlem Barut; Palamar, Melis; Gerceker, Kevser; Egrilmez, Sait; Yagci, Ayse

    2017-01-01

    It is aimed to determine whether fasting during Ramadan has any significant effect on anterior chamber parameters, visual acuity and intraocular pressures. 31 fasting (Group 1) and 30 non-fasting healthy volunteers (Group 2) were enrolled. All cases underwent an ophthalmological examination and anterior segment parameter evaluation (central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber volume (ACV), anterior chamber angle (ACA), pupil size) with Pentacam before and after the breaking of the Ramadan fast in Group 1, before and after dinner in Group 2. The mean age was 43.35 ± 13.20 in Group 1, 43.17 ± 12.90 in Group 2 (p= 0.955). No significant difference was detected in any of the parameters in both groups. There is a need for more detailed and associated studies to understand better about the influence of Ramadan fast on various ocular parameters.

  2. Sex & vision I: Spatio-temporal resolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abramov Israel

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cerebral cortex has a very large number of testosterone receptors, which could be a basis for sex differences in sensory functions. For example, audition has clear sex differences, which are related to serum testosterone levels. Of all major sensory systems only vision has not been examined for sex differences, which is surprising because occipital lobe (primary visual projection area may have the highest density of testosterone receptors in the cortex. We have examined a basic visual function: spatial and temporal pattern resolution and acuity. Methods We tested large groups of young adults with normal vision. They were screened with a battery of standard tests that examined acuity, color vision, and stereopsis. We sampled the visual system’s contrast-sensitivity function (CSF across the entire spatio-temporal space: 6 spatial frequencies at each of 5 temporal rates. Stimuli were gratings with sinusoidal luminance profiles generated on a special-purpose computer screen; their contrast was also sinusoidally modulated in time. We measured threshold contrasts using a criterion-free (forced-choice, adaptive psychophysical method (QUEST algorithm. Also, each individual’s acuity limit was estimated by fitting his or her data with a model and extrapolating to find the spatial frequency corresponding to 100% contrast. Results At a very low temporal rate, the spatial CSF was the canonical inverted-U; but for higher temporal rates, the maxima of the spatial CSFs shifted: Observers lost sensitivity at high spatial frequencies and gained sensitivity at low frequencies; also, all the maxima of the CSFs shifted by about the same amount in spatial frequency. Main effect: there was a significant (ANOVA sex difference. Across the entire spatio-temporal domain, males were more sensitive, especially at higher spatial frequencies; similarly males had significantly better acuity at all temporal rates. Conclusion As with other sensory systems

  3. Merging Psychophysical and Psychometric Theory to Estimate Global Visual State Measures from Forced-Choices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massof, Robert W; Schmidt, Karen M; Laby, Daniel M; Kirschen, David; Meadows, David

    2013-01-01

    Visual acuity, a forced-choice psychophysical measure of visual spatial resolution, is the sine qua non of clinical visual impairment testing in ophthalmology and optometry patients with visual system disorders ranging from refractive error to retinal, optic nerve, or central visual system pathology. Visual acuity measures are standardized against a norm, but it is well known that visual acuity depends on a variety of stimulus parameters, including contrast and exposure duration. This paper asks if it is possible to estimate a single global visual state measure from visual acuity measures as a function of stimulus parameters that can represent the patient's overall visual health state with a single variable. Psychophysical theory (at the sensory level) and psychometric theory (at the decision level) are merged to identify the conditions that must be satisfied to derive a global visual state measure from parameterised visual acuity measures. A global visual state measurement model is developed and tested with forced-choice visual acuity measures from 116 subjects with no visual impairments and 560 subjects with uncorrected refractive error. The results are in agreement with the expectations of the model

  4. Visual Acuity in Orbital Floor Fractures: Does Surgical Subspecialty Management Matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Nikisha Q; Brown, Ninita H; Kidwell, Earl D R

    2015-07-01

    At the time of this writing, there is no consensus regarding orbital floor fracture (OFFx) management. Proper management of OFFxs is imperative to help prevent well known complications and the possibility of decreased visual acuity (VA). The VA outcomes have been largely underreported in the literature. The current study identifies the complications of the different subspecialty management including VA outcome. A retrospective chart review study was performed to identify patients who suffered an OFFx and were managed by ophthalmology alone or in conjunction with either ENT or oral maxillofacial surgery at a single hospital. The primary outcome included VA at injury and subsequent visits. Secondary outcomes included epiphora, diplopia, enophthalmos, infraorbital dysesthesia, and decreased motility. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 using the Student t-test to find a P value < 0.05. There were 54 patients with OFFx. The majority were Black (83.3%) and men (77.8%) with their average age at time of injury being 37.6 (SE = 17.02) years. The majority of OFFxs were secondary to assault (65%). The average follow-up was 2.84 (SE = 5.38) months. The 34 patients who did not undergo surgical correction had statistically significant improvement of their VA by 1 week after injury (P = 0.02). There was no statistically significant improvement in VA outcomes for surgical patients of ophthalmology (P = 0.45) or oral maxillofacial surgery (P = 0.12). Patients undergoing OFFx repair did not have improved VA. The VA of nonsurgical patients was statistically significantly improved by 1 week after injury (P = 0.02).

  5. Space-time interdependence: evidence against asymmetric mapping between time and space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Zhenguang G; Connell, Louise

    2015-03-01

    Time and space are intimately related, but what is the real nature of this relationship? Is time mapped metaphorically onto space such that effects are always asymmetric (i.e., space affects time more than time affects space)? Or do the two domains share a common representational format and have the ability to influence each other in a flexible manner (i.e., time can sometimes affect space more than vice versa)? In three experiments, we examined whether spatial representations from haptic perception, a modality of relatively low spatial acuity, would lead the effect of time on space to be substantially stronger than the effect of space on time. Participants touched (but could not see) physical sticks while listening to an auditory note, and then reproduced either the length of the stick or the duration of the note. Judgements of length were affected by concurrent stimulus duration, but not vice versa. When participants were allowed to see as well as touch the sticks, however, the higher acuity of visuohaptic perception caused the effects to converge so length and duration influenced each other to a similar extent. These findings run counter to the spatial metaphor account of time, and rather support the spatial representation account in which time and space share a common representational format and the directionality of space-time interaction depends on the perceptual acuity of the modality used to perceive space. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. [Discrimination difficulties--expression of disordered relative localization?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haase, W; Fuisting, B; Giesswein, S; Steinhorst, U

    1991-01-01

    Spatial uncertainty was examined according to a procedure suggested by Bedell and Flom (1981) ("triangle procedure") and additionally with a line-division test designed by Kundt. A horizontal line of a length of about 20 degrees and a shorter one of 4.3 degrees was divided into two equal parts. Strabismic amblyopes mark the middle of such a line with less precision and greater uncertainty than visually normal subjects do. Visual acuity was measured by single optotypes (Landolt rings), as well as by line optotypes with spaces of 2.6 min of arc between each other (C-test). Surprisingly, there was little correlation between visual acuity--even line acuity--and localization tasks.

  7. Shape analysis of spatial relationships between orbito-ocular and endocranial structures in modern humans and fossil hominids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira-Pedro, Ana Sofia; Masters, Michael; Bruner, Emiliano

    2017-12-01

    The orbits and eyes of modern humans are situated directly below the frontal lobes and anterior to the temporal lobes. Contiguity between these orbital and cerebral elements could generate spatial constraints, and potentially lead to deformation of the eye and reduced visual acuity during development. In this shape analysis we evaluate whether and to what extent covariation exists between ocular morphology and the size and spatial position of the frontal and temporal areas in adult modern humans. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to investigate patterns of variation among the brain and eyes, while computed tomography (CT) was used to compare cranial morphology in this anatomical region among modern humans, extinct hominids and chimpanzees. Seventeen landmarks and semi-landmarks that capture the outline of the eye, frontal lobe, anterior fossa/orbital roof and the position of the temporal tips were sampled using lateral scout views in two dimensions, after projection of the average grayscale values of each hemisphere, with midsagittal and parasagittal elements overlapped onto the same plane. MRI results demonstrated that eye position in adult humans varies most with regard to its horizontal distance from the temporal lobes and, secondly, in its vertical distance from the frontal lobes. Size was mainly found to covary with the distance between the eye and temporal lobes. Proximity to these cerebral lobes may generate spatial constraints, as some ocular deformation was observed. Considering the CT analysis, modern humans vary most with regard to the orientation of the orbits, while interspecific variation is mainly associated with separation between the orbits and endocranial elements. These findings suggest that size and position of the frontal and temporal lobes can affect eye and orbit morphology, though potential effects on eye shape require further study. In particular, possible effects of these spatial and allometric relationships on the eye and vision

  8. Comparação entre acuidade visual e photoscreening como métodos de triagem visual para crianças em idade escolar Comparison between visual acuity and photoscreening used like visual screening methods for scholar aged children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberta Lílian Fernandes de Sousa

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar a sensibilidade do aparelho photoscreener na detecção de alterações oculares em crianças informantes, comparando os dados à acuidade visual obtida pela tabela E de Snellen. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliadas 500 crianças de idades entre 5 e 12 anos, de escola do município de Botucatu, estado de São Paulo. As crianças foram submetidas ao teste de acuidade visual pela tabela E de Snellen e foram fotografadas utilizando-se o aparelho photoscreenerTM system model MTI-PS100, seguindo-se a análise das fotos obtidas. RESULTADOS: Houve concordância negativa (criança com boa acuidade visual e teste negativo com o photoscreener em 81,0%; concordância positiva (acuidade visual alterada e teste positivo em 7,6% e não houve concordância de resultados em 11,0% dos casos. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação comparativa entre o método da acuidade visual pela tabela E de Snellen e o photocreener para detecção de problemas visuais mostrou alta concordância. Os autores sugerem entretanto, a triagem usando tabelas de acuidade visual quando se trata de crianças informantes, devido aos custos com o aparelho.PURPOSE: To evaluate the sensitivity of the photoscreener equipment to detect ocular changes in informative children comparing with the data obtained by the E Snellen´s table. METHODS: We evaluated 500 children between 5 and 12 years old, from a school of Botucatu city, São Paulo state. The children were submitted to a visual acuity test using the Snellen´s E Table and were photographed with the photoscreenerTM system model MTI-PS100, following the photos' analyze. RESULTS: There were negative agreement (children with a good visual acuity and a negative test with the Photoscreener in 81.0%; positive agreement (children without a good visual acuity and a positive test in 7.6% and there was no agreement of the results in 11.0% (9 of the cases. CONCLUSION: The comparative analysis between the visual acuity test using the Snellen's E table and

  9. Baseline Predictors of Visual Acuity Outcome in Patients with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xinyuan Zhang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Age-related macular degeneration (AMD is one of the leading causes of severe vision loss in people over 60 years. Wet AMD (wAMD causes more severe visual acuity (VA loss compared with the dry form due to formation of choroidal neovascularization (CNV. Antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF agents such as ranibizumab and aflibercept are now the standard of care treatment for wAMD. Unfortunately, up to a quarter of anti-VEGF-treated wAMD patients might not fully benefit from intravitreal injections and CNV activity may not respond to the treatment and these patients are called anti-VEGF nonresponders. This article aims to discuss the baseline factors associated with VA outcome such as age, initial VA, lesion types, disease duration, optical coherence tomography (OCT features, fundus autofluorescence findings, and the presence of particular genotype risk alleles in patients with wAMD. Recommendations are provided regarding when to consider discontinuation of therapy because of either success or futility. Understanding the predictive factors associated with VA outcome and treatment frequency response to anti-VEGF therapy may help retina specialists to manage patients’ expectations and guide treatment decisions from the beginning of treatment on the basis of “personalized medicine.”

  10. Unexpected Genetic Cause in Two Female Siblings with High Myopia and Reduced Visual Acuity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. N. Preising

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In daily life, myopia is a frequent cause of reduced visual acuity (VA due to missing or incomplete optical correction. While the genetic cause of high myopia itself is not well understood, a significant number of cases are secondary to hereditary malfunctions or degenerations of the retina. The mechanism by which this occurs remains yet unclear. Two female siblings, 4 y and 2 y, respectively, from a consanguineous Pakistani family were referred to our department for reduced VA and strabismus. Both girls were highly myopic and hence were further examined using standard clinical tests and electroretinography (ERG. The latter confirmed confounded electrical coupling of photoreceptors and bipolar cells. Further inquiry and testing confirmed a similar condition for the father including impaired night vision, reduced VA, photophobia, and an equally characteristic ERG. Findings in the mother were unremarkable. Subsequent genetic analysis of autosomal recessive and X-linked genes for congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB revealed a novel homozygous splice site mutation in CACNA1F in the two girls transmitted from both the father and the mother. While in males the above clinical constellation is a frequent finding, this report, to the authors’ knowledge, is the first demonstrating biallelic mutations at the CACNA1F locus in females.

  11. Long-term visual acuity, retention and complications observed with the type-I and type-II Boston keratoprostheses in an Irish population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duignan, E S; Ní Dhubhghaill, S; Malone, C; Power, W

    2016-08-01

    To evaluate the outcomes of the type-I and type-II Boston keratoprostheses in a single Irish centre. A retrospective chart review of keratoprosthesis implantations carried out in our institution from November 2002 to March 2014 was performed. All procedures were performed by a single surgeon (WP). Thirty-four keratoprosthesis implantations were carried out in 31 patients with a mean follow-up of 42±31 months (range 2-110 months). Seventeen patients were female (54.8%) and 14 were male (45.2%). The majority of keratoprostheses implanted were type-I (31/34, 91.2%), and three were type-II (3/34, 8.8%). Twenty-nine patients (85.3%) had an improvement in distance best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline. Fifty per cent (17/34) of patients had a best-ever BCVA of at least 6/12. Eighteen patients (64.3%) retained a BCVA of at least 6/60 at 1 year. Over the course of follow-up, six keratoprostheses were explanted from six eyes of five patients, one of which was a type-II keratoprosthesis. Twenty-six patients (76.5%) developed postoperative complications. Complications included retroprosthetic membrane (18 patients, 52.9%), an exacerbation or new diagnosis of glaucoma (6 patients, 17.6%), endophthalmitis (5 patients, 14.7%) and retinal detachment (2 patients, 5.9%). These data demonstrate excellent visual acuity and retention outcomes in a cohort with a long follow-up period in a single centre. Complications remain a considerable source of morbidity. These outcomes provide further evidence for the long-term stability of type-I and type-II Boston keratoprostheses in the management of patients in whom a traditional graft is likely to fail. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  12. Uncorrected and Corrected Distance Visual Acuity, Predictability, Efficacy, and Safety after Femtosecond Laser in Situ Keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) and Refractive Lenticule extraction (ReLEx) for Moderate and High Myopia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vestergaard, Anders; Justesen, Birgitte Larsen; Melsen, Charlotte

    Title: Uncorrected and Corrected Distance Visual Acuity, Predictability, Efficacy, and Safety after Femtosecond Laser in Situ Keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) and Refractive Lenticule extraction (ReLEx) for Moderate and High Myopia. Vestergaard A., Justesen B., Melsen C., Lyhne N., Department of Ophthal......Title: Uncorrected and Corrected Distance Visual Acuity, Predictability, Efficacy, and Safety after Femtosecond Laser in Situ Keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) and Refractive Lenticule extraction (ReLEx) for Moderate and High Myopia. Vestergaard A., Justesen B., Melsen C., Lyhne N., Department...... predictability, efficacy and safety after femtosecond LASIK (FS-LASIK) with ReLEx. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark. Methods: Retrospective study of results after FS-LASIK and ReLEx (including ReLEx flex, ReLEx pseudo-smile, and ReLEx smile). In total, 228 eyes were...... treated with FS-LASIK and 83 eyes with ReLEx, at the Department of Ophthalmology, Odense University Hospital in the period of April to November 2011. Only otherwise healthy myopic eyes with up to 3.00 D of astigmatism and with CDVA ≤ 0.30 (logMAR) before surgery were included in this study. FS-LASIK flaps...

  13. Encouraging Spatial Talk: Using Children's Museums to Bolster Spatial Reasoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polinsky, Naomi; Perez, Jasmin; Grehl, Mora; McCrink, Koleen

    2017-01-01

    Longitudinal spatial language intervention studies have shown that greater exposure to spatial language improves children's performance on spatial tasks. Can short naturalistic, spatial language interactions also evoke improved spatial performance? In this study, parents were asked to interact with their child at a block wall exhibit in a…

  14. Cannabinoid Receptors CB1 and CB2 Modulate the Electroretinographic Waves in Vervet Monkeys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph Bouskila

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The expression patterns of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R and the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2R are well documented in rodents and primates. In vervet monkeys, CB1R is present in the retinal neurons (photoreceptors, horizontal cells, bipolar cells, amacrine cells, and ganglion cells and CB2R is exclusively found in the retinal glia (Müller cells. However, the role of these cannabinoid receptors in normal primate retinal function remains elusive. Using full-field electroretinography in adult vervet monkeys, we recorded changes in neural activity following the blockade of CB1R and CB2R by the intravitreal administration of their antagonists (AM251 and AM630, resp. in photopic and scotopic conditions. Our results show that AM251 increases the photopic a-wave amplitude at high flash intensities, whereas AM630 increases the amplitude of both the photopic a- and b-waves. In scotopic conditions, both blockers increased the b-wave amplitude but did not change the a-wave amplitude. These findings suggest an important role of CB1R and CB2R in primate retinal function.

  15. Children's Spatial Thinking: Does Talk about the Spatial World Matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruden, Shannon M.; Levine, Susan C.; Huttenlocher, Janellen

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we examine the relations between parent spatial language input, children's own production of spatial language, and children's later spatial abilities. Using a longitudinal study design, we coded the use of spatial language (i.e. words describing the spatial features and properties of objects; e.g. big, tall, circle, curvy, edge) from…

  16. Amblyopia: neural basis and therapeutic approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bretas, Caio César Peixoto; Soriano, Renato Nery

    2016-01-01

    Abnormalities in visual processing caused by visual deprivation or abnormal binocular interaction may induce amblyopia, which is characterized by reduced visual acuity. Occlusion therapy, the conventional treatment, requires special attention as occlusion of the fellow normal eye may reduce its visual acuity and impair binocular vision. Besides recovering visual acuity, some researchers have recommended restoration of stereoacuity and motor fusion and reverse suppression in order to prevent diplopia. Recent studies have documented that the amblyopic visual cortex has a normal complement of cells but reduced spatial resolution and a disordered topographical map. Changes occurring in the late sensitive period selectively impact the parvocellular pathway. Distinct morphophysiologic and psychophysical deficits may demand individualization of therapy, which might provide greater and longer-lasting residual plasticity in some children.

  17. Variação da acuidade visual em pacientes jovens com ectopia lentis submetidos à cirurgia Variation of visual acuity in young patients with ectopia lentis submitted to surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauro Waiswol

    2005-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVOS:Avaliar os resultados quanto à acuidade visual, de dois procedimentos cirúrgicos para a ectopia lentis. MÉTODOS: Foram operados 51 olhos de 28 pacientes (16 do sexo masculino e 12 do feminino, com média de idade de 16,00±8,5 anos com ectopia lentis simples (19 casos, ou associada à síndrome de Marfan (nove casos, com diferentes graus de subluxação cristaliniana. Em 21 casos a técnica empregada foi a facectomia com implante de lente intra-ocular (LIO por fixação escleral e em 30 casos foi utilizada a facectomia com implante da lente intra-ocular no saco capsular, previamente expandido por anel endocapsular (ANEL. Os resultados enfatizaram a acuidade visual pré e pós-operatória em seguimento de seis meses. RESULTADOS:Em ambas as técnicas, a acuidade visual pós-operatória sem e com correção teve aumento significante, que foi maior nos casos operados com fixação escleral da lente intra-ocular. Mais do que a técnica empregada, os graus de subluxação pré-operatórios foram determinantes para os resultados. CONCLUSÕES: Mediante as técnicas operatórias apresentadas, a correção cirúrgica da ectopia lentis simples ou associada à síndrome de Marfan é segura e eficaz, com recuperação significante da acuidade visual, embora os resultados operatórios dependam, intrinsecamente, dos graus pré-operatórios de subluxação do cristalino.PURPOSE: To assess the results as to visual acuity of two different surgical procedures for ectopia lentis. METHODS: Fifty-one eyes of 28 patients (16 males and 12 females, mean age 16.00± 8.5 with simple (19 cases or Marfan syndrome-associated (9 cases ectopia lentis with different levels of subluxation underwent lens extraction with implantation of intraocular lenses (IOL with scleral fixation (21 cases or by lens extraction with implantation of the intraocular lenses in the capsular bag expanded by endocapsular ring (RING (30 cases. Result analysis emphasized pre- and

  18. Spatial features register: toward standardization of spatial features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cascio, Janette

    1994-01-01

    As the need to share spatial data increases, more than agreement on a common format is needed to ensure that the data is meaningful to both the importer and the exporter. Effective data transfer also requires common definitions of spatial features. To achieve this, part 2 of the Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) provides a model for a spatial features data content specification and a glossary of features and attributes that fit this model. The model provides a foundation for standardizing spatial features. The glossary now contains only a limited subset of hydrographic and topographic features. For it to be useful, terms and definitions must be included for other categories, such as base cartographic, bathymetric, cadastral, cultural and demographic, geodetic, geologic, ground transportation, international boundaries, soils, vegetation, water, and wetlands, and the set of hydrographic and topographic features must be expanded. This paper will review the philosophy of the SDTS part 2 and the current plans for creating a national spatial features register as one mechanism for maintaining part 2.

  19. Differentiating Spatial Memory from Spatial Transformations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Street, Whitney N.; Wang, Ranxiao Frances

    2014-01-01

    The perspective-taking task is one of the most common paradigms used to study the nature of spatial memory, and better performance for certain orientations is generally interpreted as evidence of spatial representations using these reference directions. However, performance advantages can also result from the relative ease in certain…

  20. The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gudde, Harmen B; Griffiths, Debra; Coventry, Kenny R

    2018-02-19

    The memory game paradigm is a behavioral procedure to explore the relationship between language, spatial memory, and object knowledge. Using two different versions of the paradigm, spatial language use and memory for object location are tested under different, experimentally manipulated conditions. This allows us to tease apart proposed models explaining the influence of object knowledge on spatial language (e.g., spatial demonstratives), and spatial memory, as well as understanding the parameters that affect demonstrative choice and spatial memory more broadly. Key to the development of the method was the need to collect data on language use (e.g., spatial demonstratives: "this/that") and spatial memory data under strictly controlled conditions, while retaining a degree of ecological validity. The language version (section 3.1) of the memory game tests how conditions affect language use. Participants refer verbally to objects placed at different locations (e.g., using spatial demonstratives: "this/that red circle"). Different parameters can be experimentally manipulated: the distance from the participant, the position of a conspecific, and for example whether the participant owns, knows, or sees the object while referring to it. The same parameters can be manipulated in the memory version of the memory game (section 3.2). This version tests the effects of the different conditions on object-location memory. Following object placement, participants get 10 seconds to memorize the object's location. After the object and location cues are removed, participants verbally direct the experimenter to move a stick to indicate where the object was. The difference between the memorized and the actual location shows the direction and strength of the memory error, allowing comparisons between the influences of the respective parameters.

  1. Analysis of Spatial Concepts, Spatial Skills and Spatial Representations in New York State Regents Earth Science Examinations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kastens, Kim A.; Pistolesi, Linda; Passow, Michael J.

    2014-01-01

    Research has shown that spatial thinking is important in science in general, and in Earth Science in particular, and that performance on spatially demanding tasks can be fostered through instruction. Because spatial thinking is rarely taught explicitly in the U.S. education system, improving spatial thinking may be "low-hanging fruit" as…

  2. Visual Acuity Is Correlated with the Area of the Foveal Avascular Zone in Diabetic Retinopathy and Retinal Vein Occlusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balaratnasingam, Chandrakumar; Inoue, Maiko; Ahn, Seungjun; McCann, Jesse; Dhrami-Gavazi, Elona; Yannuzzi, Lawrence A; Freund, K Bailey

    2016-11-01

    To determine if the area of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) is correlated with visual acuity (VA) in diabetic retinopathy (DR) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Cross-sectional study. Ninety-five eyes of 66 subjects with DR (65 eyes), branch retinal vein occlusion (19 eyes), and central retinal vein occlusion (11 eyes). Structural optical coherence tomography (OCT; Spectralis, Heidelberg Engineering) and OCT angiography (OCTA; Avanti, Optovue RTVue XR) data from a single visit were analyzed. FAZ area, point thickness of central fovea, central 1-mm subfield thickness, the occurrence of intraretinal cysts, ellipsoid zone disruption, and disorganization of retinal inner layers (DRIL) length were measured. VA was also recorded. Correlations between FAZ area and VA were explored using regression models. Main outcome measure was VA. Mean age was 62.9±13.2 years. There was no difference in demographic and OCT-derived anatomic measurements between branch retinal vein occlusion and central retinal vein occlusion groups (all P ≥ 0.058); therefore, data from the 2 groups were pooled together to a single RVO group for further statistical comparisons. Univariate and multiple regression analysis showed that the area of the FAZ was significantly correlated with VA in DR and RVO (all P ≤ 0.003). The relationship between FAZ area and VA varied with age (P = 0.026) such that for a constant FAZ area, an increase in patient age was associated with poorer vision (rise in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity). Disruption of the ellipsoid zone was significantly correlated with VA in univariate and multiple regression analysis (both P < 0.001). Occurrence of intraretinal cysts, DRIL length, and lens status were significantly correlated with VA in the univariate regression analysis (P ≤ 0.018) but not the multiple regression analysis (P ≥ 0.210). Remaining variables evaluated in this study were not predictive of VA (all P ≥ 0.225). The area of the FAZ is

  3. Spatial and Global Sensory Suppression Mapping Encompassing the Central 10° Field in Anisometropic Amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jingjing; Li, Jinrong; Chen, Zidong; Liu, Jing; Yuan, Junpeng; Cai, Xiaoxiao; Deng, Daming; Yu, Minbin

    2017-01-01

    We investigate the efficacy of a novel dichoptic mapping paradigm in evaluating visual function of anisometropic amblyopes. Using standard clinical measures of visual function (visual acuity, stereo acuity, Bagolini lenses, and neutral density filters) and a novel quantitative mapping technique, 26 patients with anisometropic amblyopia (mean age = 19.15 ± 4.42 years) were assessed. Two additional psychophysical interocular suppression measurements were tested with dichoptic global motion coherence and binocular phase combination tasks. Luminance reduction was achieved by placing neutral density filters in front of the normal eye. Our study revealed that suppression changes across the central 10° visual field by mean luminance modulation in amblyopes as well as normal controls. Using simulation and an elimination of interocular suppression, we identified a novel method to effectively reflect the distribution of suppression in anisometropic amblyopia. Additionally, the new quantitative mapping technique was in good agreement with conventional clinical measures, such as interocular acuity difference (P suppression with dichoptic mapping paradigm and the results of the other two psychophysical methods (suppression mapping versus binocular phase combination, P suppression mapping versus global motion coherence, P = 0.005). The dichoptic suppression mapping technique is an effective method to represent impaired visual function in patients with anisometropic amblyopia. It offers a potential in "micro-"antisuppression mapping tests and therapies for amblyopia.

  4. Relationship between Vision and Visual Perception in Hong Kong Preschoolers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Wing-Cheung; Tang, Minny Mei-Miu; Fu, Ching-Wah; Leung, Ka-Yan; Pang, Peter Chi-Kong; Cheong, Allen Ming-Yan

    2015-05-01

    Although superior performance in visual motor and visual perceptual skills of preschool children has been documented in the Chinese population, a normative database is only available for the US population. This study aimed to determine the normative values for these visuomotor and visual perceptual tests for preschool children in the Hong Kong Chinese population and to investigate the effect of fundamental visual functions on visuomotor and visual perceptual skills. One hundred seventy-four children from six different kindergartens in Hong Kong were recruited. Distance visual acuity, near visual acuity, and stereopsis were tested, along with two measures of visual perception (VP): Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) and Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (TVPS). Raw VMI and TVPS scores were converted into standard/scaled scores. The impact of basic visual functions on VP (VMI and TVPS) was examined using multiple regression. Visual functions were generally good: only 9.2 and 4.6% of subjects had unilateral and bilateral reduced habitual vision, respectively (distance visual acuity in the better eye >0.3 logMAR [logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution]). Performance in the VMI and in the visual memory and spatial relationships subtests of the TVPS exceeded that reported for age-matched children from the United States. Multiple regression analysis provided evidence that age had the strongest predictive value for the VMI and VP skills. In addition, near visual acuity was weakly associated with performance in the VMI and the visual discrimination and spatial relationships subtests of the TVPS, accounting for a limited proportion of the intersubject variability (R memory/spatial relationships of TVPS subtests, perhaps attributed to greater exposure to such material during their preschool home education. This study provided normality data for VMI and four subtests of the TVPS for Hong Kong Chinese preschool children as a reference for future studies.

  5. Origins of superior dynamic visual acuity in baseball players: superior eye movements or superior image processing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yusuke Uchida

    Full Text Available Dynamic visual acuity (DVA is defined as the ability to discriminate the fine parts of a moving object. DVA is generally better in athletes than in non-athletes, and the better DVA of athletes has been attributed to a better ability to track moving objects. In the present study, we hypothesized that the better DVA of athletes is partly derived from better perception of moving images on the retina through some kind of perceptual learning. To test this hypothesis, we quantitatively measured DVA in baseball players and non-athletes using moving Landolt rings in two conditions. In the first experiment, the participants were allowed to move their eyes (free-eye-movement conditions, whereas in the second they were required to fixate on a fixation target (fixation conditions. The athletes displayed significantly better DVA than the non-athletes in the free-eye-movement conditions. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in the fixation conditions. These results suggest that the better DVA of athletes is primarily due to an improved ability to track moving targets with their eyes, rather than to improved perception of moving images on the retina.

  6. Origins of superior dynamic visual acuity in baseball players: superior eye movements or superior image processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uchida, Yusuke; Kudoh, Daisuke; Murakami, Akira; Honda, Masaaki; Kitazawa, Shigeru

    2012-01-01

    Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is defined as the ability to discriminate the fine parts of a moving object. DVA is generally better in athletes than in non-athletes, and the better DVA of athletes has been attributed to a better ability to track moving objects. In the present study, we hypothesized that the better DVA of athletes is partly derived from better perception of moving images on the retina through some kind of perceptual learning. To test this hypothesis, we quantitatively measured DVA in baseball players and non-athletes using moving Landolt rings in two conditions. In the first experiment, the participants were allowed to move their eyes (free-eye-movement conditions), whereas in the second they were required to fixate on a fixation target (fixation conditions). The athletes displayed significantly better DVA than the non-athletes in the free-eye-movement conditions. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in the fixation conditions. These results suggest that the better DVA of athletes is primarily due to an improved ability to track moving targets with their eyes, rather than to improved perception of moving images on the retina.

  7. Comparison of bromfenac 0.09% QD to nepafenac 0.1% TID after cataract surgery: pilot evaluation of visual acuity, macular volume, and retinal thickness at a single site

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cable M

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Melissa CableDiscover Vision Centers, Independence, MO, USAPurpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of bromfenac ophthalmic solution 0.09% once daily (QD and nepafenac 0.1% ophthalmic suspension three times daily following cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation, specifically looking at any differences in Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuities, macular volume, and/or retinal thickness changes.Methods: Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either bromfenac (n = 10 QD or nepafenac (n = 10 three times daily. Dosing began 3 days before cataract surgery, continuing to day 21 postsurgery. In addition to the investigated nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug regimen, all subjects received antiinfective intraoperative and postoperative standard of care. Subjects were followed at 1 day and 1, 3, and 6 weeks postoperatively. Study visit assessments included best-corrected visual acuity, biomicroscopy, summed ocular inflammation score (anterior chamber cells and flare grading, intraocular pressure measurement, adverse event recording, and concomitant medication review. Optical coherence tomography was performed at 1, 3, and 6 weeks.Results: Both treatment groups had similar baseline measurements. Outcomes for mean letters read (P = 0.318, mean change in macular volume (P = 0.665, and retinal thickness (P = 0.552 were not statistically different between the groups from baseline through week six, although independently only the bromfenac group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in letters gained from baseline to week six (P = 0.040. In the same time period, mean macular volume and retinal thickening worsened in the nepafenac group, demonstrating a statistically significant increase (P = 0.006 at week six for macular volume when compared to baseline. One subject in the nepafenac group experienced recurrent inflammation at week six, was unmasked, and

  8. Spatial Data Management

    CERN Document Server

    Mamoulis, Nikos

    2011-01-01

    Spatial database management deals with the storage, indexing, and querying of data with spatial features, such as location and geometric extent. Many applications require the efficient management of spatial data, including Geographic Information Systems, Computer Aided Design, and Location Based Services. The goal of this book is to provide the reader with an overview of spatial data management technology, with an emphasis on indexing and search techniques. It first introduces spatial data models and queries and discusses the main issues of extending a database system to support spatial data.

  9. Photography activities for developing students’ spatial orientation and spatial visualization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendroanto, Aan; van Galen, Frans; van Eerde, D.; Prahmana, R. C. I.; Setyawan, F.; Istiandaru, A.

    2017-12-01

    Spatial orientation and spatial visualization are the foundation of students’ spatial ability. They assist students’ performance in learning mathematics, especially geometry. Considering its importance, the present study aims to design activities to help young learners developing their spatial orientation and spatial visualization ability. Photography activity was chosen as the context of the activity to guide and support the students. This is a design research study consisting of three phases: 1) preparation and designing 2) teaching experiment, and 3) retrospective analysis. The data is collected by tests and interview and qualitatively analyzed. We developed two photography activities to be tested. In the teaching experiments, 30 students of SD Laboratorium UNESA, Surabaya were involved. The results showed that the activities supported the development of students’ spatial orientation and spatial visualization indicated by students’ learning progresses, answers, and strategies when they solved the problems in the activities.

  10. Spatially-Heterodyned Holography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Clarence E [Knoxville, TN; Hanson, Gregory R [Clinton, TN

    2006-02-21

    A method of recording a spatially low-frequency heterodyne hologram, including spatially heterodyne fringes for Fourier analysis, includes: splitting a laser beam into a reference beam and an object beam; interacting the object beam with an object; focusing the reference beam and the object beam at a focal plane of a digital recorder to form a spatially low-frequency heterodyne hologram including spatially heterodyne fringes for Fourier analysis; digital recording the spatially low-frequency heterodyne hologram; Fourier transforming axes of the recorded spatially low-frequency heterodyne hologram including spatially heterodyne fringes in Fourier space to sit on top of a heterodyne carrier frequency defined by an angle between the reference beam and the object beam; cutting off signals around an origin; and performing an inverse Fourier transform.

  11. The prevalence and causes of decreased visual acuity – a study based on vision screening conducted at Enukweni and Mzuzu Foundation Primary Schools, Malawi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thom L

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Leaveson Thom,1 Sanchia Jogessar,1,2 Sara L McGowan,1 Fiona Lawless,1,2 1Department of Optometry, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi; 2Brienholden Vision Institute, Durban, South Africa Aim: To determine the prevalence and causes of decreased visual acuity (VA among pupils recruited in two primary schools in Mzimba district, northern region of Malawi.Materials and methods: The study was based on the vision screening which was conducted by optometrists at Enukweni and Mzuzu Foundation Primary Schools. The measurements during the screening included unaided distance monocular VA by using Low Vision Resource Center and Snellen chart, pinhole VA on any subject with VA of less than 6/6, refraction, pupil evaluations, ocular movements, ocular health, and shadow test.Results: The prevalence of decreased VA was found to be low in school-going population (4%, n=594. Even though Enukweni Primary School had few participants than Mzuzu Foundation Primary School, it had high prevalence of decreased VA (5.8%, n=275 than Mzuzu Foundation Primary School (1.8%, n=319. The principal causes of decreased VA in this study were found to be amblyopia and uncorrected refractive errors, with myopia being the main cause than hyperopia.Conclusion: Based on the low prevalence of decreased VA due to myopia or hyperopia, it should not be concluded that refractive errors are an insignificant contributor to visual disability in Malawi. More vision screenings are required at a large scale on school-aged population to reflect the real situation on the ground. Cost-effective strategies are needed to address this easily treatable cause of vision impairment. Keywords: vision screening, refractive errors, visual acuity, Enukweni, Mzuzu foundation

  12. Amblyopia: neural basis and therapeutic approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caio César Peixoto Bretas

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Abnormalities in visual processing caused by visual deprivation or abnormal binocular interaction may induce amblyopia, which is characterized by reduced visual acuity. Occlusion therapy, the conventional treatment, requires special attention as occlusion of the fellow normal eye may reduce its visual acuity and impair binocular vision. Besides recovering visual acuity, some researchers have recommended restoration of stereoacuity and motor fusion and reverse suppression in order to prevent diplopia. Recent studies have documented that the amblyopic visual cortex has a normal complement of cells but reduced spatial resolution and a disordered topographical map. Changes occurring in the late sensitive period selectively impact the parvocellular pathway. Distinct morphophysiologic and psychophysical deficits may demand individualization of therapy, which might provide greater and longer-lasting residual plasticity in some children.

  13. [Influence of different multifocal intraocular lens concepts on retinal stray light parameters].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehmer, A; Rabsilber, T M; Mannsfeld, A; Sanchez, M J; Holzer, M P; Auffarth, G U

    2011-10-01

    Multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOL) are known to induce various photic phenomena depending on the optical principle. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between stray light measurements performed with the C-Quant (Oculus, Germany) and the results of a subjective patient questionnaire. In this study three different MIOLs were compared: AMO ReZoom (refractive design, n=10), AMO ZM900 (diffractive design, n=10) and Oculentis Mplus (near segment design, n=10). Cataract and refractive patients were enrolled in the study. Functional results were evaluated at least 3 months postoperatively followed by stray light measurements and a subjective questionnaire. Surgery was performed for all patients without complications. The three groups were matched for age, IOL power and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). Significantly different stray light (median) values log(s) were found (Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.05): 1.12 log (refractive), 1.13 log (segment) and 1.28 log (diffractive). The subjective questionnaire did not show differences in glare perception but refractive MIOL patients noticed more halos surrounding light sources than the diffractive and segment MIOL patients. Stray light and subjective photopic phenomena do not show any basic correlation. Measurements in patients with refractive MIOLs showed less stray light than near segment or diffractive MIOLs. However, refractive MIOLs induced more halos compared to the other groups analyzed.

  14. Usher's syndrome--case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwiecień, Sława; Sulak, Robert; Szaflik, Jerzy

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this study is to present a case of coincidence of sensorineural hearing loss with chronic recurrent bilateral cystoid macular oedema in a 32-year-old woman, who was admitted to the clinic for deterioration of visual acuity of four months' duration. The patient gave a history of hearing loss for 29 years. Visual field examination disclosed peripheral ring scotoma. Electrophysiological examination was performed: pattern visual evoked response was within normal limits and electroretinogram displayed diminished both photopic and scotopic response. As ophthalmoscopy demonstrated no pigment in the fundus of the eye, the findings were consisted with diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosis sine pigmento. The presence of loss of hearing indicated the necessity of performing the genetic examination for Usher's syndrome. In order to establish a final diagnosis of Usher's syndrome genetic examination must be performed, but family history is relevant. Early investigation for Usher's syndrome in children with sensorineural hearing impairment is of a great significance. The patient may develop symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa in second or even third decade of his life. The necessity of thorough investigation for detecting other systemic abnormalities should be emphasized. There is no effective treatment of this syndrome. A child with Usher's syndrome requires a comprehensive care of different medical specialties. Psychological, educational and sociological attitude is also of a great importance in the child development.

  15. Parents' Spatial Language Mediates a Sex Difference in Preschoolers' Spatial-Language Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruden, Shannon M; Levine, Susan C

    2017-11-01

    Do boys produce more terms than girls to describe the spatial world-that is, dimensional adjectives (e.g., big, little, tall, short), shape terms (e.g., circle, square), and words describing spatial features and properties (e.g., bent, curvy, edge)? If a sex difference in children's spatial-language use exists, is it related to the spatial language that parents use when interacting with children? We longitudinally tracked the development of spatial-language production in children between the ages of 14 and 46 months in a diverse sample of 58 parent-child dyads interacting in their homes. Boys produced and heard more of these three categories of spatial words, which we call "what" spatial types (i.e., unique "what" spatial words), but not more of all other word types, than girls. Mediation analysis revealed that sex differences in children's spatial talk at 34 to 46 months of age were fully mediated by parents' earlier spatial-language use, when children were 14 to 26 months old, time points at which there was no sex difference in children's spatial-language use.

  16. Maternal fish oil supplementation in lactation: Effect on visual acuity and n-3 fatty acid content of infant erythrocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauritzen, L.; Jørgensen, M.H.; Mikkelsen, T.B.

    2004-01-01

    of fish oil (FO) supplements in lactating mothers. In this double-blinded randomized trial, Danish mothers with habitual fish intake below the 50th percentile of the Danish National Birth Cohort were randomized to microencapsulated FO [1.3 g/d long-chain n-3 FA (n-3 LCPUFA)] or olive oil (00......). The intervention started within a week after delivery and lasted 4 mon. Mothers with habitual high fish intake and their infants were included as a reference group. Ninety-seven infants completed the trial (44 OO-group, 53 FO-group) and 47 reference infants were followed up. The primary outcome measures were: DHA...... content of milk samples (0, 2, and 4 mon postnatal) and of infant red blood cell (RBC) membranes (4 mon postnatal), and infant visual acuity (measured by swept visual evoked potential at 2 and 4 mon of age). FO supplementation gave rise to a threefold increase in the DHA content of the 4-mon milk samples...

  17. Visual performance of pigeons following hippocampal lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bingman, V P; Hodos, W

    1992-11-15

    The effect of hippocampal lesions on performance in two psychophysical measures of spatial vision (acuity and size-difference threshold) was examined in 7 pigeons. No difference between the preoperative and postoperative thresholds of the experimental birds was found. The visual performance of pigeons in the psychophysical tasks failed to reveal a role of the hippocampal formation in vision. The results argue strongly that the behavioral deficits found in pigeons with hippocampal lesions when tested in a variety of memory-related spatial tasks is not based on a defect in spatial vision but impaired spatial cognition.

  18. Spatial Management Areas

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Spatial management files combine all related and relevant spatial management files into an integrated fisheries management file. Overlaps of the redundant spatial...

  19. Die Fledermaus: regarding optokinetic contrast sensitivity and light-adaptation, chicks are mice with wings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qing Shi

    Full Text Available Through adaptation, animals can function visually under an extremely broad range of light intensities. Light adaptation starts in the retina, through shifts in photoreceptor sensitivity and kinetics plus modulation of visual processing in retinal circuits. Although considerable research has been conducted on retinal adaptation in nocturnal species with rod-dominated retinas, such as the mouse, little is known about how cone-dominated avian retinas adapt to changes in mean light intensity.We used the optokinetic response to characterize contrast sensitivity (CS in the chick retina as a function of spatial frequency and temporal frequency at different mean light intensities. We found that: 1 daytime, cone-driven CS was tuned to spatial frequency; 2 nighttime, presumably rod-driven CS was tuned to temporal frequency and spatial frequency; 3 daytime, presumably cone-driven CS at threshold intensity was invariant with temporal and spatial frequency; and 4 daytime photopic CS was invariant with clock time.Light- and dark-adaptational changes in CS were investigated comprehensively for the first time in the cone-dominated retina of an avian, diurnal species. The chick retina, like the mouse retina, adapts by using a "day/night" or "cone/rod" switch in tuning preference during changes in lighting conditions. The chick optokinetic response is an attractive model for noninvasive, behavioral studies of adaptation in retinal circuitry in health and disease.

  20. Handbook of Spatial Statistics

    CERN Document Server

    Gelfand, Alan E

    2010-01-01

    Offers an introduction detailing the evolution of the field of spatial statistics. This title focuses on the three main branches of spatial statistics: continuous spatial variation (point referenced data); discrete spatial variation, including lattice and areal unit data; and, spatial point patterns.

  1. Spatial econometrics using microdata

    CERN Document Server

    Dubé, Jean

    2014-01-01

    This book provides an introduction to spatial analyses concerning disaggregated (or micro) spatial data.Particular emphasis is put on spatial data compilation and the structuring of the connections between the observations. Descriptive analysis methods of spatial data are presented in order to identify and measure the spatial, global and local dependency.The authors then focus on autoregressive spatial models, to control the problem of spatial dependency between the residues of a basic linear statistical model, thereby contravening one of the basic hypotheses of the ordinary least squares appr

  2. Investigating Spatial Interdependence in E-Bike Choice Using Spatially Autoregressive Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chengcheng Xu

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Increased attention has been given to promoting e-bike usage in recent years. However, the research gap still exists in understanding the effects of spatial interdependence on e-bike choice. This study investigated how spatial interdependence affected the e-bike choice. The Moran’s I statistic test showed that spatial interdependence exists in e-bike choice at aggregated level. Bayesian spatial autoregressive logistic analyses were then used to investigate the spatial interdependence at individual level. Separate models were developed for commuting and non-commuting trips. The factors affecting e-bike choice are different between commuting and non-commuting trips. Spatial interdependence exists at both origin and destination sides of commuting and non-commuting trips. Travellers are more likely to choose e-bikes if their neighbours at the trip origin and destination also travel by e-bikes. And the magnitude of this spatial interdependence is different across various traffic analysis zones. The results suggest that, without considering spatial interdependence, the traditional methods may have biased estimation results and make systematic forecasting errors.

  3. The 3-D global spatial data model foundation of the spatial data infrastructure

    CERN Document Server

    Burkholder, Earl F

    2008-01-01

    Traditional methods for handling spatial data are encumbered by the assumption of separate origins for horizontal and vertical measurements. Modern measurement systems operate in a 3-D spatial environment. The 3-D Global Spatial Data Model: Foundation of the Spatial Data Infrastructure offers a new model for handling digital spatial data, the global spatial data model or GSDM. The GSDM preserves the integrity of three-dimensional spatial data while also providing additional benefits such as simpler equations, worldwide standardization, and the ability to track spatial data accuracy with greater specificity and convenience. This groundbreaking spatial model incorporates both a functional model and a stochastic model to connect the physical world to the ECEF rectangular system. Combining horizontal and vertical data into a single, three-dimensional database, this authoritative monograph provides a logical development of theoretical concepts and practical tools that can be used to handle spatial data mo...

  4. Spatial Processing in Infancy Predicts Both Spatial and Mathematical Aptitude in Childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauer, Jillian E; Lourenco, Stella F

    2016-10-01

    Despite considerable interest in the role of spatial intelligence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) achievement, little is known about the ontogenetic origins of individual differences in spatial aptitude or their relation to later accomplishments in STEM disciplines. The current study provides evidence that spatial processes present in infancy predict interindividual variation in both spatial and mathematical competence later in development. Using a longitudinal design, we found that children's performance on a brief visuospatial change-detection task administered between 6 and 13 months of age was related to their spatial aptitude (i.e., mental-transformation skill) and mastery of symbolic-math concepts at 4 years of age, even when we controlled for general cognitive abilities and spatial memory. These results suggest that nascent spatial processes present in the first year of life not only act as precursors to later spatial intelligence but also predict math achievement during childhood.

  5. A variação da acuidade visual durante esforços físicos em atletas com baixa visão, participantes de seleção brasileira de atletismo The visual acuity variability during physical efforts in low vision athletes from the athletics Brazilian team

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciro Winckler de Oliveira Filho

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO E OBJETIVO: Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar o comportamento da acuidade visual em atletas com baixa visão, durante um protocolo de esforço contínuo. Pesquisas apontam que a acuidade visual apresenta variações de rendimento quando submetida a esforços físicos em sujeitos sem deficiência visual. MÉTODO: A população estudada foi composta por seis pessoas, praticantes de atletismo e integrantes da seleção brasileira em provas de pista. No primeiro dia aplicou-se o teste de esforço físico progressivo, realizado em esteira. No segundo dia realizou-se o teste de esforço contínuo, o qual foi dividido em três níveis, cada um com 15 minutos de duração e 30 minutos de intervalo entre eles. Como delimitador das intensidades aplicadas utilizaram-se os resultados obtidos no teste de físico progressivo (60% do VE pico, limiar de VE e 90% do VE pico. A aferição da acuidade visual aconteceu antes, durante e após cada nível de intensidade no protocolo de esforço contínuo. O teste t de Student foi utilizado para a análise estatística (p INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: This study had as an objective to evaluate the visual acuity behavior in athletes with low vision, during a continuous effort protocol. Researches point out that visual acuity presents performance varieties when submitted to physical efforts in subjects without visual impairment. METHOD: The studied population was composed by six peoples, who practiced athletics and were part of the Brazilian team in track events. The progressive physical effort test was applied on the first day in a treadmill. On the second day the continuous effort test was applied, which was divided in three levels, each one had a 15 and 30 minutes break between them. To determine the intensities, the results obtained in the progressive physical effort test (60% of VE peak, limiar VE and 90% VE peak were used. The visual acuity was measured before, during and after each level of

  6. Effective spatial database support for acquiring spatial information from remote sensing images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Peiquan; Wan, Shouhong; Yue, Lihua

    2009-12-01

    In this paper, a new approach to maintain spatial information acquiring from remote-sensing images is presented, which is based on Object-Relational DBMS. According to this approach, the detected and recognized results of targets are stored and able to be further accessed in an ORDBMS-based spatial database system, and users can access the spatial information using the standard SQL interface. This approach is different from the traditional ArcSDE-based method, because the spatial information management module is totally integrated into the DBMS and becomes one of the core modules in the DBMS. We focus on three issues, namely the general framework for the ORDBMS-based spatial database system, the definitions of the add-in spatial data types and operators, and the process to develop a spatial Datablade on Informix. The results show that the ORDBMS-based spatial database support for image-based target detecting and recognition is easy and practical to be implemented.

  7. Subluxação congênita do cristalino: resultados visuais e posição das lentes intraoculares após a cirurgia Congenital lens subluxation: visual acuity outcomes and intraocular lens postoperative position

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Arraes

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar os resultados visuais e investigar, através da biomicroscopia ultrassônica, o posicionamento das lentes intraoculares e do anel endocapsular em 17 olhos de 10 portadores de subluxação congênita do cristalino, submetidos à mesma técnica cirúrgica pelo mesmo cirurgião. MÉTODOS: O estudo foi realizado no Hospital de Olhos de Pernambuco e Fundação Altino Ventura. A técnica cirúrgica consistiu em facoaspiração com implante de anel endocapsular e de lentes intraoculares com amputação de uma das alças. A idade variou entre 7 e 22 anos. Foram coletados dados sobre acuidade visual para longe pré e pós-operatória, tempo de seguimento após a cirurgia e complicações. Os pacientes foram submetidos à biomicroscopia ultrassônica. RESULTADOS: O tempo de seguimento médio foi de 2,8 anos. Houve melhora da acuidade visual para longe nos 17 (100% olhos: 12 olhos (70,6% apresentaram acuidade visual para longe melhor que 20/40; 4 (23,5% apresentaram acuidade visual para longe entre 20/40 e 20/100 e 1 (5,9% apresentou acuidade visual para longe pior que 20/100, porém melhor que acuidade visual para longe pré-operatória. A opacificação da cápsula posterior ocorreu em 10 olhos (58,9%. Na biomicroscopia ultrassônica observou-se que todas as lentes intraoculares estavam parcialmente descentralizadas, contudo sem atingir o bordo pupilar. Em todos os casos observou-se um adequado posicionamento do anel e um bom suporte capsular. CONCLUSÃO É possível concluir que o tratamento cirúrgico avaliado proporciona uma boa centralização das lentes intraoculares e do anel endocapsular, com melhora da acuidade visual para longe, sendo uma opção viável, eficaz e segura na reabilitação visual dos pacientes com subluxação congênita do cristalino.PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual acuity outcomes and to investigate the intraocular lens (IOL and endocapsular ring positions with ultrasound biomicroscopy in 17 eyes of 10 patients

  8. Selective attention within the foveola.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poletti, Martina; Rucci, Michele; Carrasco, Marisa

    2017-10-01

    Efficient control of attentional resources and high-acuity vision are both fundamental for survival. Shifts in visual attention are known to covertly enhance processing at locations away from the center of gaze, where visual resolution is low. It is unknown, however, whether selective spatial attention operates where the observer is already looking-that is, within the high-acuity foveola, the small yet disproportionally important rod-free region of the retina. Using new methods for precisely controlling retinal stimulation, here we show that covert attention flexibly improves and speeds up both detection and discrimination at loci only a fraction of a degree apart within the foveola. These findings reveal a surprisingly precise control of attention and its involvement in fine spatial vision. They show that the commonly studied covert shifts of attention away from the fovea are the expression of a global mechanism that exerts its action across the entire visual field.

  9. Comparing Spatial Predictions

    KAUST Repository

    Hering, Amanda S.

    2011-11-01

    Under a general loss function, we develop a hypothesis test to determine whether a significant difference in the spatial predictions produced by two competing models exists on average across the entire spatial domain of interest. The null hypothesis is that of no difference, and a spatial loss differential is created based on the observed data, the two sets of predictions, and the loss function chosen by the researcher. The test assumes only isotropy and short-range spatial dependence of the loss differential but does allow it to be non-Gaussian, non-zero-mean, and spatially correlated. Constant and nonconstant spatial trends in the loss differential are treated in two separate cases. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate the size and power properties of this test, and an example based on daily average wind speeds in Oklahoma is used for illustration. Supplemental results are available online. © 2011 American Statistical Association and the American Society for Qualitys.

  10. The Spatial Scaffold: The Effects of Spatial Context on Memory for Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robin, Jessica; Wynn, Jordana; Moscovitch, Morris

    2016-01-01

    Events always unfold in a spatial context, leading to the claim that it serves as a scaffold for encoding and retrieving episodic memories. The ubiquitous co-occurrence of spatial context with events may induce participants to generate a spatial context when hearing scenarios of events in which it is absent. Spatial context should also serve as an…

  11. Where spatial capacity building and spatial decision making meet. Publically debating participatory spatial planning via a newspaper.

    OpenAIRE

    Huybrechts, Liesbeth; Martens, Sarah; Devisch, Oswald

    2015-01-01

    This article reports on the in-between results of a Participatory Design research process in spatial planning in Godsheide, a small village in the Belgian Region of Limburg. The research explores how the language of newspapers enables citizens, policy makers, property developers and local organisations to build capacities (cfr. spatial capacity building) in ‘scripting’ their reflections on, but also actions in spatial change. In the heads of our participants, there existed a duality between -...

  12. Video-game play induces plasticity in the visual system of adults with amblyopia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger W Li

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available UNLABELLED: Abnormal visual experience during a sensitive period of development disrupts neuronal circuitry in the visual cortex and results in abnormal spatial vision or amblyopia. Here we examined whether playing video games can induce plasticity in the visual system of adults with amblyopia. Specifically 20 adults with amblyopia (age 15-61 y; visual acuity: 20/25-20/480, with no manifest ocular disease or nystagmus were recruited and allocated into three intervention groups: action videogame group (n = 10, non-action videogame group (n = 3, and crossover control group (n = 7. Our experiments show that playing video games (both action and non-action games for a short period of time (40-80 h, 2 h/d using the amblyopic eye results in a substantial improvement in a wide range of fundamental visual functions, from low-level to high-level, including visual acuity (33%, positional acuity (16%, spatial attention (37%, and stereopsis (54%. Using a cross-over experimental design (first 20 h: occlusion therapy, and the next 40 h: videogame therapy, we can conclude that the improvement cannot be explained simply by eye patching alone. We quantified the limits and the time course of visual plasticity induced by video-game experience. The recovery in visual acuity that we observed is at least 5-fold faster than would be expected from occlusion therapy in childhood amblyopia. We used positional noise and modelling to reveal the neural mechanisms underlying the visual improvements in terms of decreased spatial distortion (7% and increased processing efficiency (33%. Our study had several limitations: small sample size, lack of randomization, and differences in numbers between groups. A large-scale randomized clinical study is needed to confirm the therapeutic value of video-game treatment in clinical situations. Nonetheless, taken as a pilot study, this work suggests that video-game play may provide important principles for treating amblyopia

  13. Video-game play induces plasticity in the visual system of adults with amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Roger W; Ngo, Charlie; Nguyen, Jennie; Levi, Dennis M

    2011-08-01

    Abnormal visual experience during a sensitive period of development disrupts neuronal circuitry in the visual cortex and results in abnormal spatial vision or amblyopia. Here we examined whether playing video games can induce plasticity in the visual system of adults with amblyopia. Specifically 20 adults with amblyopia (age 15-61 y; visual acuity: 20/25-20/480, with no manifest ocular disease or nystagmus) were recruited and allocated into three intervention groups: action videogame group (n = 10), non-action videogame group (n = 3), and crossover control group (n = 7). Our experiments show that playing video games (both action and non-action games) for a short period of time (40-80 h, 2 h/d) using the amblyopic eye results in a substantial improvement in a wide range of fundamental visual functions, from low-level to high-level, including visual acuity (33%), positional acuity (16%), spatial attention (37%), and stereopsis (54%). Using a cross-over experimental design (first 20 h: occlusion therapy, and the next 40 h: videogame therapy), we can conclude that the improvement cannot be explained simply by eye patching alone. We quantified the limits and the time course of visual plasticity induced by video-game experience. The recovery in visual acuity that we observed is at least 5-fold faster than would be expected from occlusion therapy in childhood amblyopia. We used positional noise and modelling to reveal the neural mechanisms underlying the visual improvements in terms of decreased spatial distortion (7%) and increased processing efficiency (33%). Our study had several limitations: small sample size, lack of randomization, and differences in numbers between groups. A large-scale randomized clinical study is needed to confirm the therapeutic value of video-game treatment in clinical situations. Nonetheless, taken as a pilot study, this work suggests that video-game play may provide important principles for treating amblyopia, and perhaps other

  14. Video-Game Play Induces Plasticity in the Visual System of Adults with Amblyopia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Roger W.; Ngo, Charlie; Nguyen, Jennie; Levi, Dennis M.

    2011-01-01

    Abnormal visual experience during a sensitive period of development disrupts neuronal circuitry in the visual cortex and results in abnormal spatial vision or amblyopia. Here we examined whether playing video games can induce plasticity in the visual system of adults with amblyopia. Specifically 20 adults with amblyopia (age 15–61 y; visual acuity: 20/25–20/480, with no manifest ocular disease or nystagmus) were recruited and allocated into three intervention groups: action videogame group (n = 10), non-action videogame group (n = 3), and crossover control group (n = 7). Our experiments show that playing video games (both action and non-action games) for a short period of time (40–80 h, 2 h/d) using the amblyopic eye results in a substantial improvement in a wide range of fundamental visual functions, from low-level to high-level, including visual acuity (33%), positional acuity (16%), spatial attention (37%), and stereopsis (54%). Using a cross-over experimental design (first 20 h: occlusion therapy, and the next 40 h: videogame therapy), we can conclude that the improvement cannot be explained simply by eye patching alone. We quantified the limits and the time course of visual plasticity induced by video-game experience. The recovery in visual acuity that we observed is at least 5-fold faster than would be expected from occlusion therapy in childhood amblyopia. We used positional noise and modelling to reveal the neural mechanisms underlying the visual improvements in terms of decreased spatial distortion (7%) and increased processing efficiency (33%). Our study had several limitations: small sample size, lack of randomization, and differences in numbers between groups. A large-scale randomized clinical study is needed to confirm the therapeutic value of video-game treatment in clinical situations. Nonetheless, taken as a pilot study, this work suggests that video-game play may provide important principles for treating amblyopia, and perhaps

  15. Sound localization in common vampire bats: Acuity and use of the binaural time cue by a small mammal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heffner, Rickye S.; Koay, Gimseong; Heffner, Henry E.

    2015-01-01

    Passive sound-localization acuity and the ability to use binaural time and intensity cues were determined for the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus). The bats were tested using a conditioned suppression/avoidance procedure in which they drank defibrinated blood from a spout in the presence of sounds from their right, but stopped drinking (i.e., broke contact with the spout) whenever a sound came from their left, thereby avoiding a mild shock. The mean minimum audible angle for three bats for a 100-ms noise burst was 13.1°—within the range of thresholds for other bats and near the mean for mammals. Common vampire bats readily localized pure tones of 20 kHz and higher, indicating they could use interaural intensity-differences. They could also localize pure tones of 5 kHz and lower, thereby demonstrating the use of interaural time-differences, despite their very small maximum interaural distance of 60 μs. A comparison of the use of locus cues among mammals suggests several implications for the evolution of sound localization and its underlying anatomical and physiological mechanisms. PMID:25618037

  16. Spatial Language Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Zhengling

    2016-01-01

    Spatial language constitutes part of the basic fabric of language. Although languages may have the same number of terms to cover a set of spatial relations, they do not always do so in the same way. Spatial languages differ across languages quite radically, thus providing a real semantic challenge for second language learners. The essay first…

  17. Vision in avian emberizid foragers: maximizing both binocular vision and fronto-lateral visual acuity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Bret A; Pita, Diana; Tyrrell, Luke P; Fernández-Juricic, Esteban

    2015-05-01

    Avian species vary in their visual system configuration, but previous studies have often compared single visual traits between two to three distantly related species. However, birds use different visual dimensions that cannot be maximized simultaneously to meet different perceptual demands, potentially leading to trade-offs between visual traits. We studied the degree of inter-specific variation in multiple visual traits related to foraging and anti-predator behaviors in nine species of closely related emberizid sparrows, controlling for phylogenetic effects. Emberizid sparrows maximize binocular vision, even seeing their bill tips in some eye positions, which may enhance the detection of prey and facilitate food handling. Sparrows have a single retinal center of acute vision (i.e. fovea) projecting fronto-laterally (but not into the binocular field). The foveal projection close to the edge of the binocular field may shorten the time to gather and process both monocular and binocular visual information from the foraging substrate. Contrary to previous work, we found that species with larger visual fields had higher visual acuity, which may compensate for larger blind spots (i.e. pectens) above the center of acute vision, enhancing predator detection. Finally, species with a steeper change in ganglion cell density across the retina had higher eye movement amplitude, probably due to a more pronounced reduction in visual resolution away from the fovea, which would need to be moved around more frequently. The visual configuration of emberizid passive prey foragers is substantially different from that of previously studied avian groups (e.g. sit-and-wait and tactile foragers). © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  18. Spatial pattern of Amazonian timber species using cartesian and spatial coordinates method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiago Monteiro Condé

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Geographic information system (GIS applied to forest analysis permit the recognition and analysis of spatial patterns of species in two and three dimensional. The aim of this study to demonstrate the efficiency of cartesian and spatial coordinates method (MCCE, method of correcting UTM coordinates of trees location in accordance with the location of field or Cartesian (X ,Y, combined with natural neighbor index (ANND in recognition and analysis of spatial distribution patterns of four commercial timber species in forest management in Caracaraí, Roraima State, Brazil. Simulations were performed on 9 ha, divided into 100 plots of 100 m2 each. Collected data were DBH > 10 cm, commercial and total heights, cartesian coordinates (X,Y and spatial coordinates (UTM. Random spatial patterns were observed in Eschweilera bracteosa and Manilkara huberi. The dispersed and rare spatial patterns were observed in Dinizia excelsa and Cedrelinga cateniformis. MCCE proved to be an efficient method in the recognition and analysis of spatial patterns of native species from Amazon rain forest, as forest planning becomes easier by 2D and 3D simulations.

  19. Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on the Visual System of Monkeys Measured at Different Stages of Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harrar, Vanessa; Elkrief, Laurent; Bouskila, Joseph

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a developmental disease characterized by behavioral problems and physical defects including malformations of the eye and associated optical defects. How these malformations affect retinal functioning is not well known, although animal models have...... suggested that scotopic vision is particularly deficient. Age is also known to affect scotopic vision. Here, we determined the combined effects of age and fetal alcohol exposure (FAE) on retinal function using full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) in monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus). Methods: ERGs were recorded...... in monkeys aged 3- to 12-years old, at multiple flash intensities under scotopic and photopic conditions, and functions were fit to the amplitudes of the a- and b-waves. Results: We found that both age and alcohol exposure affected ERGs. In photopic ERGs, amplitudes increased with age, and were higher...

  20. Recent developments in spatial analysis spatial statistics, behavioural modelling, and computational intelligence

    CERN Document Server

    Getis, Arthur

    1997-01-01

    In recent years, spatial analysis has become an increasingly active field, as evidenced by the establishment of educational and research programs at many universities. Its popularity is due mainly to new technologies and the development of spatial data infrastructures. This book illustrates some recent developments in spatial analysis, behavioural modelling, and computational intelligence. World renown spatial analysts explain and demonstrate their new and insightful models and methods. The applications are in areas of societal interest such as the spread of infectious diseases, migration behaviour, and retail and agricultural location strategies. In addition, there is emphasis on the uses of new technologoies for the analysis of spatial data through the application of neural network concepts.

  1. Spatializing Time

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Bodil Marie Stavning

    2011-01-01

    The article analyses some of artist Søren Lose's photographic installations in which time, history and narration is reflected in the creation of allegoric, spatial relations.......The article analyses some of artist Søren Lose's photographic installations in which time, history and narration is reflected in the creation of allegoric, spatial relations....

  2. Historical Evolution of Spatial Abilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Ardila

    1993-01-01

    Full Text Available Historical evolution and cross-cultural differences in spatial abilities are analyzed. Spatial abilities have been found to be significantly associated with the complexity of geographical conditions and survival demands. Although impaired spatial cognition is found in cases of, exclusively or predominantly, right hemisphere pathology, it is proposed that this asymmetry may depend on the degree of training in spatial abilities. It is further proposed that spatial cognition might have evolved in a parallel way with cultural evolution and environmental demands. Contemporary city humans might be using spatial abilities in some new, conceptual tasks that did not exist in prehistoric times: mathematics, reading, writing, mechanics, music, etc. Cross-cultural analysis of spatial abilities in different human groups, normalization of neuropsychological testing instruments, and clinical observations of spatial ability disturbances in people with different cultural backgrounds and various spatial requirements, are required to construct a neuropsychological theory of brain organization of spatial cognition.

  3. Sex effects on spatial learning but not on spatial memory retrieval in healthy young adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piber, Dominique; Nowacki, Jan; Mueller, Sven C; Wingenfeld, Katja; Otte, Christian

    2018-01-15

    Sex differences have been found in spatial learning and spatial memory, with several studies indicating that males outperform females. We tested in the virtual Morris Water Maze (vMWM) task, whether sex differences in spatial cognitive processes are attributable to differences in spatial learning or spatial memory retrieval in a large student sample. We tested 90 healthy students (45 women and 45 men) with a mean age of 23.5 years (SD=3.5). Spatial learning and spatial memory retrieval were measured by using the vMWM task, during which participants had to search a virtual pool for a hidden platform, facilitated by visual cues surrounding the pool. Several learning trials assessed spatial learning, while a separate probe trial assessed spatial memory retrieval. We found a significant sex effect during spatial learning, with males showing shorter latency and shorter path length, as compared to females (all pretrieval (p=0.615). Furthermore, post-hoc analyses revealed significant sex differences in spatial search strategies (pretrieval. Our study raises the question, whether men and women use different learning strategies, which nevertheless result in equal performances of spatial memory retrieval. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Plasticity of Human Spatial Cognition: Spatial Language and Cognition Covary across Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haun, Daniel B. M.; Rapold, Christian J.; Janzen, Gabriele; Levinson, Stephen C.

    2011-01-01

    The present paper explores cross-cultural variation in spatial cognition by comparing spatial reconstruction tasks by Dutch and Namibian elementary school children. These two communities differ in the way they predominantly express spatial relations in language. Four experiments investigate cognitive strategy preferences across different levels of…

  5. Avaliação da acuidade visual Snellen Snellen visual acuity evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcio Zapparoli

    2009-12-01

    âncias diversas, mantém a razão de proporcionalidade dos optotipos baseada no ângulo visual e se aproxima em muito ao padrão teórico preconizado por Herman Snellen em 1862.PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual acuity (VA measurement by Snellen chart at three main Ophthalmology centers in Curitiba, compare these measurements with a computerized method for calibrating VA and also with the standard theory developed by Hermann Snellen. METHODS: Descriptive study including 15 Ophthalmology clinics and a computerized method to measure the VA. Using a tape measure and a caliper, measurement of the distance was obtained from the sitting patients' eye to VA optotypes projection on the wall. At the same time, measurement of the size of the letters of 4 lines of the VA projection on the wall was performed. RESULTS: To analyze the results, it was opted to compare the angles presented by each clinic for each measurement. It was not surprising that no clinic presented an exact angle of 5 arch minutes. Comparing clinics results with computerized method, we observed that only 2 clinics obtained better results if compared with the angles obtained from optotypes projection, but the data is very similar and with no statistical significance. In relation to the other clinics, the superiority of the computerized method is very relevant. All had differences in comparison to the gold standard. Individually, comparing computerized method to standard Snellen theory, it was observed that a condition very close to the ideal was obtained, in other words, results very similar to 5 arch minutes were noted in all the visual acuities analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that there is a great heterogeneity in the evaluation of VA in different Ophthalmology centers. Also, the same patient, evaluated in different clinics, can obtain different VA measurements. The computerized method is practical, portable, adjustable for different distances, and maintains optotypes proportionality ratio based on visual angle

  6. Spatial networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barthélemy, Marc

    2011-02-01

    Complex systems are very often organized under the form of networks where nodes and edges are embedded in space. Transportation and mobility networks, Internet, mobile phone networks, power grids, social and contact networks, and neural networks, are all examples where space is relevant and where topology alone does not contain all the information. Characterizing and understanding the structure and the evolution of spatial networks is thus crucial for many different fields, ranging from urbanism to epidemiology. An important consequence of space on networks is that there is a cost associated with the length of edges which in turn has dramatic effects on the topological structure of these networks. We will thoroughly explain the current state of our understanding of how the spatial constraints affect the structure and properties of these networks. We will review the most recent empirical observations and the most important models of spatial networks. We will also discuss various processes which take place on these spatial networks, such as phase transitions, random walks, synchronization, navigation, resilience, and disease spread.

  7. Spatial Operations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anda VELICANU

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper contains a brief description of the most important operations that can be performed on spatial data such as spatial queries, create, update, insert, delete operations, conversions, operations on the map or analysis on grid cells. Each operation has a graphical example and some of them have code examples in Oracle and PostgreSQL.

  8. Spatial Computation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-12-01

    Computation and today’s microprocessors with the approach to operating system architecture, and the controversy between microkernels and monolithic kernels...Both Spatial Computation and microkernels break away a relatively monolithic architecture into in- dividual lightweight pieces, well specialized...for their particular functionality. Spatial Computation removes global signals and control, in the same way microkernels remove the global address

  9. Spatial electric load forecasting

    CERN Document Server

    Willis, H Lee

    2002-01-01

    Spatial Electric Load Forecasting Consumer Demand for Power and ReliabilityCoincidence and Load BehaviorLoad Curve and End-Use ModelingWeather and Electric LoadWeather Design Criteria and Forecast NormalizationSpatial Load Growth BehaviorSpatial Forecast Accuracy and Error MeasuresTrending MethodsSimulation Method: Basic ConceptsA Detailed Look at the Simulation MethodBasics of Computerized SimulationAnalytical Building Blocks for Spatial SimulationAdvanced Elements of Computerized SimulationHybrid Trending-Simulation MethodsAdvanced

  10. Adaptation of the Central Retina for High Acuity Vision: Cones, the Fovea and the Avascular Zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Provis, Jan M; Dubis, Adam M; Maddess, Ted; Carroll, Joseph

    2013-01-01

    Presence of a fovea centralis is directly linked to molecular specification of an avascular area in central retina, before the fovea (or `pit') begins to form. Modeling suggests that mechanical forces, generated within the eye, initiate formation of a pit within the avascular area, and its later remodeling in the postnatal period. Within the avascular area the retina is dominated by `midget' circuitry, in which signals are transferred from a single cone to a single bipolar cell, then a single ganglion cell. Thus in inner, central retina there are relatively few lateral connections between neurons. This renders the region adaptable to tangential forces, that translocate of ganglion cells laterally / centrifugally, to form the fovea. Optical coherence tomography enables live imaging of the retina, and shows that there is greater variation in the morphology of foveae in humans than previously thought. This variation is associated with differences in size of the avascular area and appears to be genetically based, but can be modified by environmental factors, including prematurity. Even when the fovea is absent (foveal hypoplasia), cones in central retina adopt an elongated and narrow morphology, enabling them to pack more densely to increase the sampling rate, and to act as more effective waveguides. Given these findings, what then is the adaptive advantage of a fovea? We suggest that the advantages of having a pit in central retina are relatively few, and minor, but together work to enhance acuity. PMID:23500068

  11. Set size influences the relationship between ANS acuity and math performance: a result of different strategies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dietrich, Julia Felicitas; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Klein, Elise; Moeller, Korbinian; Huber, Stefan

    2017-08-29

    Previous research has proposed that the approximate number system (ANS) constitutes a building block for later mathematical abilities. Therefore, numerous studies investigated the relationship between ANS acuity and mathematical performance, but results are inconsistent. Properties of the experimental design have been discussed as a potential explanation of these inconsistencies. In the present study, we investigated the influence of set size and presentation duration on the association between non-symbolic magnitude comparison and math performance. Moreover, we focused on strategies reported as an explanation for these inconsistencies. In particular, we employed a non-symbolic magnitude comparison task and asked participants how they solved the task. We observed that set size was a significant moderator of the relationship between non-symbolic magnitude comparison and math performance, whereas presentation duration of the stimuli did not moderate this relationship. This supports the notion that specific design characteristics contribute to the inconsistent results. Moreover, participants reported different strategies including numerosity-based, visual, counting, calculation-based, and subitizing strategies. Frequencies of these strategies differed between different set sizes and presentation durations. However, we found no specific strategy, which alone predicted arithmetic performance, but when considering the frequency of all reported strategies, arithmetic performance could be predicted. Visual strategies made the largest contribution to this prediction. To conclude, the present findings suggest that different design characteristics contribute to the inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between non-symbolic magnitude comparison and mathematical performance by inducing different strategies and additional processes.

  12. Hedonic approaches based on spatial econometrics and spatial statistics: application to evaluation of project benefits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsutsumi, Morito; Seya, Hajime

    2009-12-01

    This study discusses the theoretical foundation of the application of spatial hedonic approaches—the hedonic approach employing spatial econometrics or/and spatial statistics—to benefits evaluation. The study highlights the limitations of the spatial econometrics approach since it uses a spatial weight matrix that is not employed by the spatial statistics approach. Further, the study presents empirical analyses by applying the Spatial Autoregressive Error Model (SAEM), which is based on the spatial econometrics approach, and the Spatial Process Model (SPM), which is based on the spatial statistics approach. SPMs are conducted based on both isotropy and anisotropy and applied to different mesh sizes. The empirical analysis reveals that the estimated benefits are quite different, especially between isotropic and anisotropic SPM and between isotropic SPM and SAEM; the estimated benefits are similar for SAEM and anisotropic SPM. The study demonstrates that the mesh size does not affect the estimated amount of benefits. Finally, the study provides a confidence interval for the estimated benefits and raises an issue with regard to benefit evaluation.

  13. Influence of visual acuity on suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and depression in South Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rim, Tyler Hyungtaek; Lee, Christopher Seungkyu; Lee, Sung Chul; Chung, Byunghoon; Kim, Sung Soo

    2015-08-01

    To assess the influence of visual acuity (VA) on suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and depression. From 2008 to 2012, a total of 28 919 nationally representative participants aged 19 years or older in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey underwent additional ophthalmological examinations by the Korean Ophthalmologic Society. Associations between best corrected VA in the better-seeing eye based on decimal fraction and mental health were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis after adjusting for possible biopsychosocial confounders. Self-reported mental health (suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and depression), Euro Quality of Life-Visual Analog Scale and counselling experience were evaluated by direct interviews. A nomogram for risk of suicidal ideation was generated. By multivariable logistic regression analysis, low VA was significantly associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempt but not depression. Participants with a VA of no light perception to 0.2 had a nearly twofold and threefold increased risk of suicidal ideation (adjusted OR, 1.85; 95% CI 1.04 to 3.27) and suicidal attempt (adjusted OR, 3.44; 95% CI 0.92 to 12.79), compared with participants with a VA of 1.0. Sociodemographic disparities, including age and socioeconomic status, existed for suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt and depression. Euro Quality of Life-Visual Analog Scale significantly decreased as VA decreased and was lower in participants who attempted suicide. Low VA was associated with the occurrence of suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. Ophthalmologists should embrace their responsibility to help reduce suicidality and prevent suicides in patients with low VA by encouraging them to seek psychiatric care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  14. A better START for low-acuity victims: data-driven refinement of mass casualty triage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cross, Keith P; Petry, Michael J; Cicero, Mark X

    2015-01-01

    Methods currently used to triage patients from mass casualty events have a sparse evidence basis. The objective of this project was to assess gaps of the widely used Simple Triage and Rapid Transport (START) algorithm using a large database when it is used to triage low-acuity patients. Subsequently, we developed and tested evidenced-based improvements to START. Using the National Trauma Database (NTDB), a large set of trauma victims were assigned START triage levels, which were then compared to recorded patient mortality outcomes using area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC). Subjects assigned to the "Minor/Green" level who nevertheless died prior to hospital discharge were considered mistriaged. Recursive partitioning identified factors associated with of these mistriaged patients. These factors were then used to develop candidate START models of improved triage, whose overall performance was then re-evaluated using data from the NTDB. This process of evaluating performance, identifying errors, and further adjusting candidate models was repeated iteratively. The study included 322,162 subjects assigned to "Minor/Green" of which 2,046 died before hospital discharge. Age was the primary predictor of under-triage by START. Candidate models which re-assigned patients from the "Minor/Green" triage level to the "Delayed/Yellow" triage level based on age (either for patients >60 or >75), reduced mortality in the "Minor/Green" group from 0.6% to 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively. These candidate START models also showed net improvement in the AUC for predicting mortality overall and in select subgroups. In this research model using trauma registry data, most START under-triage errors occurred in elderly patients. Overall START accuracy was improved by placing elderly but otherwise minimally injured-mass casualty victims into a higher risk triage level. Alternatively, such patients would be candidates for closer monitoring at the scene or expedited transport ahead of other

  15. Trends in comorbidity, acuity, and maternal risk associated with preeclampsia across obstetric volume settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Booker, Whitney A; Ananth, Cande V; Wright, Jason D; Siddiq, Zainab; D'Alton, Mary E; Cleary, Kirstin L; Goffman, Dena; Friedman, Alexander M

    2018-03-12

    The objective of this study was to characterize morbidity, acuity, and maternal risks associated with preeclampsia across hospitals with varying obstetric volumes. This retrospective cohort analysis used a large administrative data source, the Perspective database, to characterize the risk for preeclampsia from 2006 to 2015. Hospitals were classified as having either low (≤1000), moderate (1001-2000), or high (≥2000) delivery volume. The primary outcomes included preeclampsia, antihypertensive administration, comorbidity, and related severe maternal morbidity. Severe maternal morbidity was estimated using criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Comorbidity was estimated using an obstetric comorbidity index. Univariable comparisons were made with Chi-squared test. Adjusted log linear regression models were fit to assess factors associated with severe morbidity with risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals as the measures of effect. Population weights were applied to create national estimates. Of 36,985,729 deliveries included, 1,414,484 (3.8%) had a diagnosis of preeclampsia. Of these, 779,511 (2.1%) had mild, 171,109 (0.5%) superimposed, and 463,864 (1.3%) severe preeclampsia. The prevalence of mild, superimposed, and severe preeclampsia each increased over the study period with severe and superimposed preeclampsia as opposed to mild preeclampsia increasing the most proportionately (53.2 and 102.5 versus 10.8%, respectively). The use of antihypertensives used to treat severe range hypertension increased with use of intravenous labetalol increasing 31.5%, 43.2%, and 36.1% at low-, medium-, and high-volume hospitals. Comorbid risk also increased across hospital volume settings as did risk for severe maternal morbidity. Preeclampsia is increasing across obstetric care settings with preeclamptic patients demonstrating increasing comorbid risk, increased risk for severe morbidity, and more frequent need for treatment of acute hypertension.

  16. The object of mobile spatial data, the subject in mobile spatial research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jim Thatcher

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available With an estimated one billion smartphones producing over 5 petabytes of data a day, the spatially aware mobile device has become a near ubiquitous presence in daily life. Cogent, excellent research in a variety of fields has explored what the spatial data these devices produce can reveal of society, such as analysis of Foursquare check-ins to reveal patterns of mobility for groups through a city. In such studies, the individual intentions, motivations, and desires behind the production of said data can become lost through computational aggregation and analysis. In this commentary, I argue for a rethinking of the epistemological leap from individual to data point through a (reseating of the reflexive, self-eliciting subject as an object for spatial big data research. To do so, I first situate current research on spatial big data within a computational turn in social sciences that relies overly on the data produced as a stand-in for the subject producing said data. Second, I argue that a recent shift within geography and cognate disciplines toward viewing spatial big data as a form of spatial media allows for study of the sociotechnical processes that produce modern assemblages of data and society. As spatial media, the spatial big data created through mobile device use can be understood as the data of everyday life and as part of the sociotechnical processes that produce individuals, data, and space. Ultimately, to understand the data of everyday life, researchers must write thick descriptions of the stories we tell ourselves about the data we give off to others.

  17. Hear today, gone tomorrow: an assessment of portable entertainment player use and hearing acuity in a community sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Samit; Gopal, Bharat; Reis, Janet; Novak, Michael

    2009-01-01

    Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a common but preventable disability. The purpose of this study was to assess the understanding of NIHL in a community sample in the context of exposure to portable music players, including MP3 players, and personal hearing acuity as tested with the Welch Allyn Audioscope 3. A cross-sectional convenience sample of 94 adults (18 to 65 years old) at a university recreation center completed an analysis of personal use of portable digital music players (MP3 players), concerns about hearing loss, and a 3-dB-level hearing test at 4 levels of speech frequency in a low ambient noise setting. The majority of participants (85%) were concerned about hearing loss, willing to protect their hearing with lower volume (77%), had little measurable hearing loss but were exposed to longer and louder periods of noise than other national samples, and mistakenly felt that NIHL is a medically reversible condition. Many (40%) also wanted their family medicine physician to be more concerned about their hearing. Family medicine physicians are in a key position to provide basic information on the preventability and negative consequences of NIHL, as well as to identify and refer patients with identified hearing loss.

  18. Progressive retinal degeneration in a girl with Knobloch syndrome who presented with signs of ocular albinism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gradstein, Libe; Hansen, Ronald M; Cox, Gerald F; Altschwager, Pablo; Fulton, Anne B

    2017-04-01

    We report for the first time electroretinographic (ERG) evidence of progressive retinal abnormalities in a girl who presented in infancy with ocular features of albinism and gradually developed choroidal sclerosis and patchy retinal atrophy leading to a diagnosis of Knobloch syndrome (KS, OMIM 267750, COL18A1). At age 2 months, nystagmus and esotropia prompted ophthalmic evaluation. The appearance of choroidal sclerosis and atrophic retinal patches led to further evaluation at age 8 years. Genetics consultation was obtained in infancy and again at age 8 years as retinal findings evolved. Full field ERG responses in both scotopic and photopic conditions were recorded at both ages and compared to those in healthy control subjects. At age 2 months ERG response parameters were within normal limits for age and tyrosinase (TYR) gene sequencing revealed one novel mutation, p.S466F, and the temperature-sensitive polymorphism, p.R402Q, suggesting the diagnosis of oculocutaneous albinism type 1 (OCA1). At age 8 years, there was significant attenuation of both scotopic and photopic ERG responses. Genetic re-analysis led to the identification of a homozygous mutation, c.3213dupC, in the COL18A1 gene, thus confirming the diagnosis of Knobloch syndrome. Our patient with Knobloch syndrome developed abnormal ERG responses similar to those found in col18a1 knockout mice. Thus, we have documented progressive attenuation of the scotopic and photopic responses in KS.

  19. Spatial Tapping Interferes With the Processing of Linguistic Spatial Relations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Noordzij, Matthijs Leendert; van der Lubbe, Robert Henricus Johannes; Neggers, Sebastiaan F.W.; Postma, Albert

    2004-01-01

    Simple spatial relations may be represented either in a propositional format that is dependent on verbal rehearsal or in a picture-like format that is maintained by visual-spatial rehearsal. In sentence-picture and picture-picture verification tasks, we examined the effect of an articulatory

  20. Uncertainty in spatial planning proceedings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleš Mlakar

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Uncertainty is distinctive of spatial planning as it arises from the necessity to co-ordinate the various interests within the area, from the urgency of adopting spatial planning decisions, the complexity of the environment, physical space and society, addressing the uncertainty of the future and from the uncertainty of actually making the right decision. Response to uncertainty is a series of measures that mitigate the effects of uncertainty itself. These measures are based on two fundamental principles – standardization and optimization. The measures are related to knowledge enhancement and spatial planning comprehension, in the legal regulation of changes, in the existence of spatial planning as a means of different interests co-ordination, in the active planning and the constructive resolution of current spatial problems, in the integration of spatial planning and the environmental protection process, in the implementation of the analysis as the foundation of spatial planners activities, in the methods of thinking outside the parameters, in forming clear spatial concepts and in creating a transparent management spatial system and also in the enforcement the participatory processes.

  1. Visual Spatial Attention Training Improve Spatial Attention and Motor Control for Unilateral Neglect Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei; Ji, Xiangtong; Ni, Jun; Ye, Qian; Zhang, Sicong; Chen, Wenli; Bian, Rong; Yu, Cui; Zhang, Wenting; Shen, Guangyu; Machado, Sergio; Yuan, Tifei; Shan, Chunlei

    2015-01-01

    To compare the effect of visual spatial training on the spatial attention to that on motor control and to correlate the improvement of spatial attention to motor control progress after visual spatial training in subjects with unilateral spatial neglect (USN). 9 cases with USN after right cerebral stroke were randomly divided into Conventional treatment group + visual spatial attention and Conventional treatment group. The Conventional treatment group + visual spatial attention received conventional rehabilitation therapy (physical and occupational therapy) and visual spatial attention training (optokinetic stimulation and right half-field eye patching). The Conventional treatment group was only treated with conventional rehabilitation training (physical and occupational therapy). All patients were assessed by behavioral inattention test (BIT), Fugl-Meyer Assessment of motor function (FMA), equilibrium coordination test (ECT) and non-equilibrium coordination test (NCT) before and after 4 weeks treatment. Total scores in both groups (without visual spatial attention/with visual spatial attention) improved significantly (BIT: P=0.021/P=0.000, d=1.667/d=2.116, power=0.69/power=0.98, 95%CI[-0.8839,45.88]/95%CI=[16.96,92.64]; FMA: P=0.002/P=0.000, d=2.521/d=2.700, power=0.93/power=0.98, 95%CI[5.707,30.79]/95%CI=[16.06,53.94]; ECT: P=0.002/ P=0.000, d=2.031/d=1.354, power=0.90/power=0.17, 95%CI[3.380,42.61]/95%CI=[-1.478,39.08]; NCT: P=0.013/P=0.000, d=1.124/d=1.822, power=0.41/power=0.56, 95%CI[-7.980,37.48]/95%CI=[4.798,43.60],) after treatment. Among the 2 groups, the group with visual spatial attention significantly improved in BIT (P=0.003, d=3.103, power=1, 95%CI[15.68,48.92]), FMA of upper extremity (P=0.006, d=2.771, power=1, 95%CI[5.061,20.14]) and NCT (P=0.010, d=2.214, power=0.81-0.90, 95%CI[3.018,15.88]). Correlative analysis shows that the change of BIT scores is positively correlated to the change of FMA total score (r=0.77, Pvisual spatial training could

  2. Correlation between the optical coherence tomography and electroretinogram in retinal vein occlusion macular edema

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ya Xu

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To evaluate the correlation between retinal thickness and photopic flash electroretinogram(ERGparameters(Cone a-wave, Cone b-wave, and 30Hz flickerin patients with central retinal vein occlusion(CRVOand macular edema. METHODS: A total of 25 patients(25 CRVO eyes and 25 unaffected fellow eyeswith CRVO underwent the examination of optical coherence tomography(OCTand photopic falsh ERG. The amplitude and implicit time of the ERG parameters were extracted from the ERG traces. Retinal thicknesses were measured by OCT in nine macular subfields. Then the correlations between ERG parameters and macular morphological parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The Cone b-wave and 30Hz flicker implicit time were correlated with macular retinal thickness in seven out of nine subfields, excluding the temporal subfields. CONCLUSION: The retinal thickness of the macular edema may be associated with inner retinal function in CRVO patients.

  3. Standardized Full-Field Electroretinography in the Green Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bouskila, Joseph; Javadi, Pasha; Palmour, Roberta M

    2014-01-01

    Full-field electroretinography is an objective measure of retinal function, serving as an important diagnostic clinical tool in ophthalmology for evaluating the integrity of the retina. Given the similarity between the anatomy and physiology of the human and Green Monkey eyes, this species has......). Photopic and scotopic ERG recordings were obtained by full-field stimulation over a range of 6 log units of intensity in dark-adapted or light-adapted eyes of adult Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus). Intensity, duration, and interval of light stimuli were varied separately. Reproducible values...... of amplitude and latency were obtained for the a- and b-waves, under well-controlled adaptation and stimulus conditions; the i-wave was also easily identifiable and separated from the a-b-wave complex in the photopic ERG. The recordings obtained in the healthy Green Monkey matched very well with those...

  4. Spatially varying coefficient models in real estate: Eigenvector spatial filtering and alternative approaches

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helbich, M; Griffith, D

    2016-01-01

    Real estate policies in urban areas require the recognition of spatial heterogeneity in housing prices to account for local settings. In response to the growing number of spatially varying coefficient models in housing applications, this study evaluated four models in terms of their spatial patterns

  5. The Spatial and the Visual in Mental Spatial Reasoning: An Ill-Posed Distinction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultheis, Holger; Bertel, Sven; Barkowsky, Thomas; Seifert, Inessa

    It is an ongoing and controversial debate in cognitive science which aspects of knowledge humans process visually and which ones they process spatially. Similarly, artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive science research, in building computational cognitive systems, tended to use strictly spatial or strictly visual representations. The resulting systems, however, were suboptimal both with respect to computational efficiency and cognitive plau sibility. In this paper, we propose that the problems in both research strands stem from a mis conception of the visual and the spatial in mental spatial knowl edge pro cessing. Instead of viewing the visual and the spatial as two clearly separable categories, they should be conceptualized as the extremes of a con tinuous dimension of representation. Regarding psychology, a continuous di mension avoids the need to exclusively assign processes and representations to either one of the cate gories and, thus, facilitates a more unambiguous rating of processes and rep resentations. Regarding AI and cognitive science, the con cept of a continuous spatial / visual dimension provides the possibility of rep re sentation structures which can vary continuously along the spatial / visual di mension. As a first step in exploiting these potential advantages of the pro posed conception we (a) introduce criteria allowing for a non-dichotomic judgment of processes and representations and (b) present an approach towards rep re sentation structures that can flexibly vary along the spatial / visual dimension.

  6. Continuous Spatial Process Models for Spatial Extreme Values

    KAUST Repository

    Sang, Huiyan

    2010-01-28

    We propose a hierarchical modeling approach for explaining a collection of point-referenced extreme values. In particular, annual maxima over space and time are assumed to follow generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions, with parameters μ, σ, and ξ specified in the latent stage to reflect underlying spatio-temporal structure. The novelty here is that we relax the conditionally independence assumption in the first stage of the hierarchial model, an assumption which has been adopted in previous work. This assumption implies that realizations of the the surface of spatial maxima will be everywhere discontinuous. For many phenomena including, e. g., temperature and precipitation, this behavior is inappropriate. Instead, we offer a spatial process model for extreme values that provides mean square continuous realizations, where the behavior of the surface is driven by the spatial dependence which is unexplained under the latent spatio-temporal specification for the GEV parameters. In this sense, the first stage smoothing is viewed as fine scale or short range smoothing while the larger scale smoothing will be captured in the second stage of the modeling. In addition, as would be desired, we are able to implement spatial interpolation for extreme values based on this model. A simulation study and a study on actual annual maximum rainfall for a region in South Africa are used to illustrate the performance of the model. © 2009 International Biometric Society.

  7. Comparing Spatial Predictions

    KAUST Repository

    Hering, Amanda S.; Genton, Marc G.

    2011-01-01

    Under a general loss function, we develop a hypothesis test to determine whether a significant difference in the spatial predictions produced by two competing models exists on average across the entire spatial domain of interest. The null hypothesis

  8. Spatial Theography

    OpenAIRE

    van Noppen, Jean Pierre

    1995-01-01

    Descriptive theology («theography») frequently resorts to metaphorical modes of meaning. Among these metaphors, the spatial language of localization and orientation plays an important role to delineate tentative insights into the relationship between the human and the divine. These spatial metaphors are presumably based on the universal human experience of interaction between the body and its environment. It is dangerous, however, to postulate universal agreement on meanings associated with s...

  9. Spatial Working Memory Interferes with Explicit, but Not Probabilistic Cuing of Spatial Attention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, Bo-Yeong; Jiang, Yuhong V.

    2015-01-01

    Recent empirical and theoretical work has depicted a close relationship between visual attention and visual working memory. For example, rehearsal in spatial working memory depends on spatial attention, whereas adding a secondary spatial working memory task impairs attentional deployment in visual search. These findings have led to the proposal…

  10. Attentional reorienting triggers spatial asymmetries in a search task with cross-modal spatial cueing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca E Paladini

    Full Text Available Cross-modal spatial cueing can affect performance in a visual search task. For example, search performance improves if a visual target and an auditory cue originate from the same spatial location, and it deteriorates if they originate from different locations. Moreover, it has recently been postulated that multisensory settings, i.e., experimental settings, in which critical stimuli are concurrently presented in different sensory modalities (e.g., visual and auditory, may trigger asymmetries in visuospatial attention. Thereby, a facilitation has been observed for visual stimuli presented in the right compared to the left visual space. However, it remains unclear whether auditory cueing of attention differentially affects search performance in the left and the right hemifields in audio-visual search tasks. The present study investigated whether spatial asymmetries would occur in a search task with cross-modal spatial cueing. Participants completed a visual search task that contained no auditory cues (i.e., unimodal visual condition, spatially congruent, spatially incongruent, and spatially non-informative auditory cues. To further assess participants' accuracy in localising the auditory cues, a unimodal auditory spatial localisation task was also administered. The results demonstrated no left/right asymmetries in the unimodal visual search condition. Both an additional incongruent, as well as a spatially non-informative, auditory cue resulted in lateral asymmetries. Thereby, search times were increased for targets presented in the left compared to the right hemifield. No such spatial asymmetry was observed in the congruent condition. However, participants' performance in the congruent condition was modulated by their tone localisation accuracy. The findings of the present study demonstrate that spatial asymmetries in multisensory processing depend on the validity of the cross-modal cues, and occur under specific attentional conditions, i.e., when

  11. Sexual Orientation-Related Differences in Virtual Spatial Navigation and Spatial Search Strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Qazi; Sharp, Jonathan; McVeigh, Meadhbh; Ho, Man-Ling

    2017-07-01

    Spatial abilities are generally hypothesized to differ between men and women, and people with different sexual orientations. According to the cross-sex shift hypothesis, gay men are hypothesized to perform in the direction of heterosexual women and lesbian women in the direction of heterosexual men on cognitive tests. This study investigated sexual orientation differences in spatial navigation and strategy during a virtual Morris water maze task (VMWM). Forty-four heterosexual men, 43 heterosexual women, 39 gay men, and 34 lesbian/bisexual women (aged 18-54 years) navigated a desktop VMWM and completed measures of intelligence, handedness, and childhood gender nonconformity (CGN). We quantified spatial learning (hidden platform trials), probe trial performance, and cued navigation (visible platform trials). Spatial strategies during hidden and probe trials were classified into visual scanning, landmark use, thigmotaxis/circling, and enfilading. In general, heterosexual men scored better than women and gay men on some spatial learning and probe trial measures and used more visual scan strategies. However, some differences disappeared after controlling for age and estimated IQ (e.g., in visual scanning heterosexual men differed from women but not gay men). Heterosexual women did not differ from lesbian/bisexual women. For both sexes, visual scanning predicted probe trial performance. More feminine CGN scores were associated with lower performance among men and greater performance among women on specific spatial learning or probe trial measures. These results provide mixed evidence for the cross-sex shift hypothesis of sexual orientation-related differences in spatial cognition.

  12. Spatial network surrogates for disentangling complex system structure from spatial embedding of nodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiedermann, Marc; Donges, Jonathan F.; Kurths, Jürgen; Donner, Reik V.

    2016-04-01

    Networks with nodes embedded in a metric space have gained increasing interest in recent years. The effects of spatial embedding on the networks' structural characteristics, however, are rarely taken into account when studying their macroscopic properties. Here, we propose a hierarchy of null models to generate random surrogates from a given spatially embedded network that can preserve certain global and local statistics associated with the nodes' embedding in a metric space. Comparing the original network's and the resulting surrogates' global characteristics allows one to quantify to what extent these characteristics are already predetermined by the spatial embedding of the nodes and links. We apply our framework to various real-world spatial networks and show that the proposed models capture macroscopic properties of the networks under study much better than standard random network models that do not account for the nodes' spatial embedding. Depending on the actual performance of the proposed null models, the networks are categorized into different classes. Since many real-world complex networks are in fact spatial networks, the proposed approach is relevant for disentangling the underlying complex system structure from spatial embedding of nodes in many fields, ranging from social systems over infrastructure and neurophysiology to climatology.

  13. Quantifying spatial and temporal trends in beach-dune volumetric changes using spatial statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eamer, Jordan B. R.; Walker, Ian J.

    2013-06-01

    Spatial statistics are generally underutilized in coastal geomorphology, despite offering great potential for identifying and quantifying spatial-temporal trends in landscape morphodynamics. In particular, local Moran's Ii provides a statistical framework for detecting clusters of significant change in an attribute (e.g., surface erosion or deposition) and quantifying how this changes over space and time. This study analyzes and interprets spatial-temporal patterns in sediment volume changes in a beach-foredune-transgressive dune complex following removal of invasive marram grass (Ammophila spp.). Results are derived by detecting significant changes in post-removal repeat DEMs derived from topographic surveys and airborne LiDAR. The study site was separated into discrete, linked geomorphic units (beach, foredune, transgressive dune complex) to facilitate sub-landscape scale analysis of volumetric change and sediment budget responses. Difference surfaces derived from a pixel-subtraction algorithm between interval DEMs and the LiDAR baseline DEM were filtered using the local Moran's Ii method and two different spatial weights (1.5 and 5 m) to detect statistically significant change. Moran's Ii results were compared with those derived from a more spatially uniform statistical method that uses a simpler student's t distribution threshold for change detection. Morphodynamic patterns and volumetric estimates were similar between the uniform geostatistical method and Moran's Ii at a spatial weight of 5 m while the smaller spatial weight (1.5 m) consistently indicated volumetric changes of less magnitude. The larger 5 m spatial weight was most representative of broader site morphodynamics and spatial patterns while the smaller spatial weight provided volumetric changes consistent with field observations. All methods showed foredune deflation immediately following removal with increased sediment volumes into the spring via deposition at the crest and on lobes in the lee

  14. Spatial cluster modelling

    CERN Document Server

    Lawson, Andrew B

    2002-01-01

    Research has generated a number of advances in methods for spatial cluster modelling in recent years, particularly in the area of Bayesian cluster modelling. Along with these advances has come an explosion of interest in the potential applications of this work, especially in epidemiology and genome research. In one integrated volume, this book reviews the state-of-the-art in spatial clustering and spatial cluster modelling, bringing together research and applications previously scattered throughout the literature. It begins with an overview of the field, then presents a series of chapters that illuminate the nature and purpose of cluster modelling within different application areas, including astrophysics, epidemiology, ecology, and imaging. The focus then shifts to methods, with discussions on point and object process modelling, perfect sampling of cluster processes, partitioning in space and space-time, spatial and spatio-temporal process modelling, nonparametric methods for clustering, and spatio-temporal ...

  15. On strategic spatial planning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tošić Branka

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this paper is to explain the origin and development of strategic spatial planning, to show complex features and highlight the differences and/or advantages over traditional, physical spatial planning. Strategic spatial planning is seen as one of approaches in legally defined planning documents, and throughout the display of properties of sectoral national strategies, as well as issues of strategic planning at the local level in Serbia. The strategic approach is clearly recognized at the national and sub-national level of spatial planning in European countries and in our country. It has been confirmed by the goals outlined in documents of the European Union and Serbia that promote the grounds of territorial cohesion and strategic integrated planning, emphasizing cooperation and the principles of sustainable spatial development. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 176017

  16. Spatial Outlier Detection of CO2 Monitoring Data Based on Spatial Local Outlier Factor

    OpenAIRE

    Liu Xin; Zhang Shaoliang; Zheng Pulin

    2015-01-01

    Spatial local outlier factor (SLOF) algorithm was adopted in this study for spatial outlier detection because of the limitations of the traditional static threshold detection. Based on the spatial characteristics of CO2 monitoring data obtained in the carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, the K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) graph was constructed using the latitude and longitude information of the monitoring points to identify the spatial neighbourhood of the monitoring points. Then ...

  17. Depth Acuity Methodology for Electronic 3D Displays: eJames (eJ)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-07-01

    Laser Translation…………………………………………………………………………….. 27 13 Schematic of a Hogel within a Spatially Integrated Ray (SIR) Display...apparatus include: (a) rotary solenoid actuated shutters to occlude the window under computer control; (b) a photoelectric switch for use in system...microcontroller also enabled automated data collection by reporting the position of the movable rod back to the eJ software. The addition of a solenoid

  18. Spatial short-term memory in children with nonverbal learning disabilities: impairment in encoding spatial configuration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narimoto, Tadamasa; Matsuura, Naomi; Takezawa, Tomohiro; Mitsuhashi, Yoshinori; Hiratani, Michio

    2013-01-01

    The authors investigated whether impaired spatial short-term memory exhibited by children with nonverbal learning disabilities is due to a problem in the encoding process. Children with or without nonverbal learning disabilities performed a simple spatial test that required them to remember 3, 5, or 7 spatial items presented simultaneously in random positions (i.e., spatial configuration) and to decide if a target item was changed or all items including the target were in the same position. The results showed that, even when the spatial positions in the encoding and probe phases were similar, the mean proportion correct of children with nonverbal learning disabilities was 0.58 while that of children without nonverbal learning disabilities was 0.84. The authors argue with the results that children with nonverbal learning disabilities have difficulty encoding relational information between spatial items, and that this difficulty is responsible for their impaired spatial short-term memory.

  19. Theory of spatial networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watanabe, T

    1983-01-01

    A new framework of synchronous parallel processing systems called spatial networks is examined, in which the family of all cellular automata is included perfectly. This framework is free from the two restrictions of cellular automata of which one is the finiteness of the set of states of a cell and the other is the countability of an array space. Throughout this article, the relationships between function and structure of spatial networks are considered. First, the necessary and sufficient condition for spatial networks to be uniformly interconnected is given. That for spatial networks to be finitely interconnected is also given with a topological approach. The characterization theorem of cellular automata comes from these results. Second, it is shown that finitely and uniformly interconnected linear spatial networks can be characterized by the convolution form. Last, the conditions for their global mappings to be injective or surjective are discussed. 10 references.

  20. A new model of strabismic amblyopia: Loss of spatial acuity due to increased temporal dispersion of geniculate X-cell afferents on to cortical neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crewther, D P; Crewther, S G

    2015-09-01

    Although the neural locus of strabismic amblyopia has been shown to lie at the first site of binocular integration, first in cat and then in primate, an adequate mechanism is still lacking. Here we hypothesise that increased temporal dispersion of LGN X-cell afferents driven by the deviating eye onto single cortical neurons may provide a neural mechanism for strabismic amblyopia. This idea was investigated via single cell extracellular recordings of 93 X and 50 Y type LGN neurons from strabismic and normal cats. Both X and Y neurons driven by the non-deviating eye showed shorter latencies than those driven by either the strabismic or normal eyes. Also the mean latency difference between X and Y neurons was much greater for the strabismic cells compared with the other two groups. The incidence of lagged X-cells driven by the deviating eye of the strabismic cats was higher than that of LGN X-cells from normal animals. Remarkably, none of the cells recorded from the laminae driven by the non-deviating eye were of the lagged class. A simple computational model was constructed in which a mixture of lagged and non-lagged afferents converge on to single cortical neurons. Model cut-off spatial frequencies to a moving grating stimulus were sensitive to the temporal dispersion of the geniculate afferents. Thus strabismic amblyopia could be viewed as a lack of developmental tuning of geniculate lags for neurons driven by the amblyopic eye. Monocular control of fixation by the non-deviating eye is associated with reduced incidence of lagged neurons, suggesting that in normal vision, lagged neurons might play a role in maintaining binocular connections for cortical neurons. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.