A clinically convenient test to measure binocular balance across spatial frequency in amblyopia

Seung Hyun Min; Yu Mao; Shijia Chen; Zhifen He; Robert F Hess; Jiawei Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103652

A clinically convenient test to measure binocular balance across spatial frequency in amblyopia

iScience. 2021 Dec 18;25(1):103652. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103652. eCollection 2022 Jan 21.

Authors

Seung Hyun Min^{1

2}, Yu Mao¹, Shijia Chen¹, Zhifen He¹, Robert F Hess², Jiawei Zhou¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Affiliated Eye Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
² McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Abstract

Amblyopia is a visual disorder that originates from the brain. It exhibits no pathology in the eye. Studies have shown that measuring both visual acuity and binocular balance for assessing amblyopia could be more helpful. However, tests that measure binocular balance are time-consuming, often exceeding 30 min. Their long test durations prevent them from being used in the clinic. For this reason, we have developed a quick (i.e., about 7 min) and precise tool that quantitatively measures binocular balance of patients with amblyopia. The new test can capture binocular imbalance that is typically exhibited at high spatial frequency in amblyopes. In addition, it has an excellent test-retest reliability and repeatability between two experimental sessions. We hope that our newly developed test can pave the road for physicians and researchers to better assess and diagnose amblyopia and other visual disorders that disrupt binocular balance beyond the laboratory.

Keywords: Health sciences; Medical tests; Medicine.