G Haegerstrom-Portnoy, J Brabyn, M Schneck, L Lott
Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, RERC, San Francisco, United States
The purpose of this study was to determine if any non-standard vision tests can predict future reductions in high contrast visual acuity. As a part of the SKI study on vision and aging, longitudinal data was collected on a battery of vision tests in a randomly selected population of elderly individuals living in Marin County, CA near San Francisco. The average age was 73.8 years at the first visit and 78.2 years at the second visit. Only those whose high contrast visual acuity was 20/40 (6/12, 0.5) or better at the first visit (90%) were included in the analysis (N=537). Testing was done binocularly with habitual correction. The criterion for high contrast acuity loss was a doubling of the acuity threshold per decade. Several of the non-standard spatial vision tests (acuity in the presence of disability glare using the Berkeley glare test, low luminance low contrast acuity on the SKILL Card, or contrast sensitivity from the Pelli-Robson chart) were statistically significant predictors of future visual acuity loss. Stereo acuity deficits at the first visit also predicted future visual acuity loss. Given a deficit in one of the spatial vision variables and stereoacuity of 0.3 log units, the risk for future significant loss of high contrast acuity increased by a factor of 2.5 times. These results emphasize the importance of non-standard measures of vision function.
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