Abstract
Purpose :
To determine the reliability and range of results for area under the log contrast sensitivity function (AULCSF) measures obtained with the quick contrast sensitivity function (qCSF) test in adults without eye disease and those with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Methods :
Nineteen RP patients and 39 adults with normal visual acuity (VA better than 20/25) and no ocular disease repeated qCSF testing at two sessions within ~1 week binocularly and monocularly, as well as with a NoIR 4% transmission filter to simulate low illumination in the eye with better VA for normals and binocularly for RP patients.
Results :
Compared to younger subjects aged 20-59 years (mean AULCSF 1.84, 1.56 or 0.97 for qCSF testing binocularly, with the better eye or filter, respectively), participants between the ages of 60-89 had highly statistically significantly reduced AULCSF measures (mean 1.56, 1.24 or 0.71; all p≤0.001). When evaluating the difference in monocular AULCSF with versus without the filter, normals aged 70-89 years had a significantly greater reduction by 23% than subjects aged 20-49 years (95%CI:11-34%; p<0.001), likely mediated by natural rod sensitivity loss with aging. Across all normals, mean coefficients of variation (CoV) for AULCSF were 3%, 5% and 10%, while 95% coefficients of repeatability (CR.95) were 0.17, 0.25 and 0.29 log units when testing binocularly, with the better eye and filter, respectively; whereas in RP subjects, mean CoVs for AULCSF were 7%, 12% and 9%, while CR.95 were 0.15, 0.29 and 0.19 log units for binocular, monocular and filter testing, respectively. Reliability metrics in normals and RP will also be presented for CSF acuity and at specific spatial frequencies.
Conclusions :
As noted in several previous studies, we measured an age-related decline in photopic qCSF, along with scotopic declines among people in their 70’s. The qCSF test provides reliable results across younger and older adults with normal vision, as well as in RP patients, and may be used as a precise outcome measure during clinical trials.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.