Abstract
Purpose :
Increasing use of optical methods for controlling myopia progression has raised questions regarding the potential long-term effects of these treatments on peripheral vision; however, there is currently no available clinical methodology for measuring peripheral visual acuity. We examined the ability to measure peripheral visual acuity in myopic children using standard spectacle lenses over a 12-month period in a prospective clinical trial using a novel measurement system.
Methods :
Sixty-three myopic subjects aged 6 to 10 years old were evaluated using a novel, electronic system to measure peripheral acuity over two study visits, baseline (BL) and 12 months (12M). Subjects were seated 40 cm from a computer display wearing standard spectacle lenses, with the non-test eye patched. The test eye fixated on a numerical target while HOTV optotypes were presented at 25° eccentricity in 4 quadrants: Superior Temporal (ST), Superior Nasal (SN), Inferior Temporal (IT) & Inferior Nasal (IN). Varying optotype sizes were presented using a staircase method and responses recorded until threshold acuity was determined.
Results :
Mean BL age and spherical equivalent refraction (± SD) were 8.1 ± 1.21 years and –2.05 ± 0.80D (range: –0.75 to –4.25). Mean BL peripheral visual acuity (± SD) in logMAR were: ST 0.99 ± 0.30, SN 0.94 ± 0.30, IT 1.06 ± 0.30 and IN 0.99 ± 0.25. Mean 12M logMAR peripheral visual acuity were: ST 0.88 ± 0.27, SN 0.88 ± 0.29, IT 0.89 ± 0.28 and IN 0.87 ± 0.27. Statistically significant differences in logMAR acuity between BL and 12M (paired t-test) were observed for the ST (p = 0.015), IT (p = 0.002) and IN (p = 0.006) quadrants. No difference was observed in the SN quadrant (p = 0.20).
Conclusions :
Peripheral visual acuity in children wearing standard spectacle lenses can be measured effectively with this novel peripheral acuity system. While approximate 1-line improvements in mean logMAR peripheral visual acuity were observed in 3 of 4 visual field quadrants and may reflect increased subject familiarity with the test procedure and increasing subject age, these differences are not clinically significant and should be considered clinically stable. This measurement methodology may be an effective tool to monitor for changes in peripheral visual acuity over time in children in a clinical setting.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.