Abstract
Purpose: :
Recently, virtual reality has been highlighted as a promising medium for visual presentation and entertainment. Most clinicians have desired to develop a new visual function test system to have amusing using virtual reality technology. At first, a new apparatus for testing binocular visual function using 3D Hemispherical Visual Display System "CyberDome" was developed and tested.
Methods: :
Subject is able to experience a visual perception like that our stay in space of visual images, which is "CyberDome" (Matsushita Electric Works, Japan). Visual images of right and left eye are projected to superimpose on a hemispherical screen, allowing test images to be seen independently by each eye with polarizing glasses. The size of the hemispherical screen is 600mm in diameter. We produced three test items which are measurement of subjective angle of strabismus (simultaneous perception), magnitude of motor fusional amplitude (convergence and divergence sides), stereopsis (binocular disparity is 1260,840,420 second of arc). All visual targets fixed 5 degree of arc. In this study, the new test was used in normal volunteers with normal binocular vision and compared to the ability to recognize the major amblyoscope. A total of 34 normal volunteers were tested. The data were analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient.
Results: :
Subjective angle of strabismus (simultaneous perception) displayed significant correlations between our test and major amblyoscope (r=0.723, p<0.001). The magnitude of motor fusional amplitudes displayed significant correlations between our test and major amblyoscope (in convergence side, r=0.863, p<0.001), (in divergence side, r=0.665, p<0.001). All volunteers could perceive stereoscopic target with binocular disparity of 480 seconds of arc.
Conclusions: :
This new apparatus using "CyberDome" could quantitatively evaluated binocular visual function such as major amblyoscope, and allows quantitative evaluation of binocular visual function and promises to be clinically useful in future.
Keywords: binocular vision/stereopsis • strabismus: treatment • visual development: infancy and childhood