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Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition
Published on: July 21, 2020
Eye position stability in amblyopia and in normal binocular vision.
Esther G González1, Agnes M F Wong, Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo
1Vision Science Research Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. esther.gonzalez@utoronto.ca
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
|July 14, 2012
Summary
Amblyopia, or "lazy eye," is linked to reduced eye position stability. This instability affects both the amblyopic and the healthy eye, varying with viewing conditions.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Vision Science
Background:
- Amblyopia is a developmental disorder characterized by reduced visual acuity in one eye.
- Sensory impairments in amblyopia are well-documented, but their impact on eye movement control is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sensory deficits in amblyopia and eye position stability (PS).
- To determine how PS is affected in amblyopic patients across different viewing conditions.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous binocular and monocular eye position recording in amblyopic patients and controls.
- Eye position stability (PS) was quantified using bivariate contour ellipses (BCEAs) under binocular, fellow eye, and amblyopic eye viewing conditions.
- Open-loop testing was performed by recording eye movements of the covered eye during monocular viewing.
Main Results:
- Amblyopic patients showed significantly decreased PS in the amblyopic eye across all viewing conditions.
- The fellow eye's PS in patients was reduced specifically during amblyopic eye viewing, unlike in controls.
- Slow eye drifts were the primary cause of decreased PS in amblyopic patients, and binocular summation was impaired.
Conclusions:
- Sensory impairments in amblyopia are directly associated with poor eye position stability.
- The position stability of both the amblyopic and fellow eyes is differentially impacted by viewing conditions in amblyopia.
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