Purpose: Although visual field testing is conducted with the subject gazing at a fixation target, constant minute eye movements, called fixational eye movements, do occur during fixation. We examined dynamic changes in fixational eye movements associated with stimulus presentation during visual field testing.
Methods: We used the head-mounted perimeter imo, which is capable of measurement under binocular conditions, with the frame rate of its fixation monitoring camera improved to 300 Hz, to assess fixational eye movements in 18 healthy individuals. We measured changes in fixational eye movements during testing under monocular and binocular conditions and analyzed these changes based on the bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA). We also assessed the changes in the horizontal and vertical microsaccade rates separately.
Results: Both the BCEA and horizontal microsaccade rates were higher at 400 to 600 msec after stimulus presentation than during stimulus presentation (P < 0.01). Additionally, the BCEA and vertical microsaccade rates were significantly lower in the binocular condition than in the monocular condition (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). We did not observe a significant correlation between the test locations and microsaccade direction during visual field testing.
Conclusions: Fixational eye movements, especially vertical microsaccade rates, were lower in the binocular condition than in the monocular condition. Visual field testing under binocular conditions is a useful method for suppressing fixational eye movements and stabilizing the fixation during testing and may improve the reliability of the test results.
Translational relevance: Visual field testing under binocular conditions can make the fixation more stable during the testing compared with monocular conditions.