Abstract
Purpose :
Contrast sensitivity is affected in different retinal conditions and its decline significantly affects vision-related quality life. The Ora Variable Contrast Sensitivity (Ora-VCF™) Test has been validated and shown to detect early functional changes in patients with intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration (iAMD). Here we tested whether this test can also differentiate eyes with non-complicated diabetic retinopathy (DR) from healthy eyes as well as those with history of diabetes but no clinical signs of DR.
Methods :
Design: prospective, cross-sectional study. Participants: Group (A), patients with clinically-detected DR but no signs of complications such as macular edema or neovascularization; Group (B), age- and visual acuity- matched healthy subjects; and Group (C), diabetic patients with at least 10 years of disease but no clinical signs of DR. All subjects had best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) better than 20/60. Intervention: Ora-VCF™ test, which is a computer-based contrast sensitivity test, was performed in eligible eyes along with standard ophthalmological assessments. Main outcome measure: differences in Ora-VCF™ measured contrast sensitivity between the 3 groups.
Results :
The number of subjects (eyes) in Groups A, B, and C were 9 (17), 7 (13), and C 10 (20). The mean ±SD for low-luminance and high-frequency (30 Hz) contrast sensitivity measured in Groups A, B, and C were 0.27±0.23, 0.11±0.04, and 0.11±0.05. A significant difference was seen in the comparison of Group A vs B (P=0.02) and Group A vs C (P=0.01), but not Group B vs C (P=0.91). There was a moderate but significant correlation between BCVA and contrast sensitivity (r= 0.50, P<0.01).
Conclusions :
Differences in visual function between diabetic eyes with non-complicated DR, diabetic eyes without DR, and healthy controls with preserved BCVA can be detected with the Ora-VCF™ test. The test results also correlated significantly with BCVA, which is currently an endpoint accepted by the FDA. The Ora-VCF™ test may be useful as an endpoint for detecting treatment effects in clinical trials including eyes with DR but preserved central vision.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.