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The effect of flicker rate on nasal and temporal measured visual field extent in infants
Suzanne M Delaney1, Velma Dobson, Kathleen M Mohan
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85711, USA. delaney@u.arizona.edu
Insights
Peripheral stimulus flicker can improve measured visual field extent (MVFE) in infants. A 10 Hz flicker rate was most effective for younger infants, while 3 Hz was optimal for older infants, enhancing their visual field extent.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Assessing visual field extent in infants is crucial for early detection of visual impairments.
- Infant visual development involves complex changes in visual processing, including sensitivity to motion and flicker.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different peripheral stimulus flicker rates impact the measured visual field extent (MVFE) in young infants.
- To determine optimal flicker frequencies for enhancing infant visual field assessment.
Main Methods:
- A static perimetry procedure was used to test 360 infants (3.5 and 7 months old) monocularly.
- Infants were exposed to stimuli at various flicker rates (0 Hz, 1 Hz, 3 Hz, 10 Hz, 20 Hz, 40 Hz) across different perimeter arms.
- Interpolated estimates of stimulus detection and farthest visual field extent were calculated for each condition and age group.
Main Results:
- MVFE was generally larger in 7-month-olds compared to 3.5-month-olds.
- A 10 Hz flicker rate significantly increased MVFE across both age groups compared to non-flickering stimuli.
- Specific flicker rates (3 Hz and 10 Hz) showed age-dependent enhancement of MVFE, particularly in temporal visual fields.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral stimulus flicker can enhance MVFE in infants aged 3.5 and 7 months.
- The effectiveness of flicker in enhancing MVFE is dependent on the flicker rate and infant age.
- Findings suggest 10 Hz and 3 Hz flicker rates are particularly effective for improving visual field assessment in infants and young children.
Purpose:
To explore the effect of peripheral stimulus flicker rate on measured visual field extent (MVFE) in young infants.
Methods:
Three hundred sixty infants (180 each at 3.5 and 7 months of age) were tested monocularly with a light-emitting diode static perimetry procedure using a double-arc perimeter with arms at 45 degrees , 135 degrees , 225 degrees , and 315 degrees . Each subject was tested with one of six flicker conditions: no flicker, 1 Hz, 3 Hz, 10 Hz, 20 Hz, and 40 Hz. An interpolated estimate of the location at which 50% of subjects detected the peripheral stimulus (corrected for spontaneous eye movements) and the mean location of the farthest spot seen were calculated across subjects for each perimeter arm for each flicker condition for each age group.
Results:
Nasally, MVFE was larger for 7-month-old than for 3.5-month-old infants. Across both ages, infants showed larger MVFE for 10-Hz stimuli than for nonflickering stimuli, but MVFE did not differ between any other flicker conditions. Temporally, response to flicker varied with age. For 3.5-month-old infants, MVFE was smaller for the no flicker condition than for the 3-Hz, 10-Hz, and 20-Hz conditions, but there were no other differences across flicker conditions. For 7-month-old infants, MVFE was larger for 3-Hz stimuli than for the no flicker, 1-Hz, 20-Hz, and 40-Hz conditions, but there were no other differences across flicker conditions. Additional analyses showed that the effect of flicker rate on the percentage of subjects looking at a peripheral stimulus at a single eccentricity (29 degrees ) was similar to the effect of stimulus flicker across eccentricities, as reflected in MVFE.
Conclusions:
Peripheral stimulus flicker can enhance the MVFE in 3.5- and 7-month-old infants. However, the effect depends on flicker rate and is consistent with previous data indicating that 10 Hz and perhaps 3 Hz are especially effective in enhancing MVFE in older infants and young children.
