Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026
A Method to Quantify Visual Information Processing in Children Using Eye Tracking
Published on: July 9, 2016
Reliability of kinetic visual field testing in children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies: Implications for
Vaidehi S Dedania1, Jerry Y Liu1, Dana Schlegel1
1a Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences , W. K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Medical School , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
Insights
Goldmann visual field (GVF) testing in children with retinal dystrophy shows significant GVF area increases with age, even with disease progression. This suggests GVF area changes may be unreliable for assessing treatment response in pediatric retinal dystrophies.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Genetics
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- Kinetic visual field testing is crucial for monitoring retinal dystrophies and evaluating treatment efficacy in clinical trials, especially those involving children.
- Mutation-proven retinal dystrophies are a group of inherited eye diseases affecting vision.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in Goldmann visual field (GVF) size in young children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies as they age.
- To assess the impact of disease progression on GVF changes in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 29 children (58 eyes) aged 5-16 with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies.
- Objective clinical disease activity was assessed by a masked retinal degeneration specialist.
- Digital quantification of GVF area was performed.
Main Results:
- GVF area increased with age in children aged 5-16, with statistically significant annual increases observed for I4e, III4e, and IV4e isopters.
- Greater increases in GVF area were noted at younger ages, indicating a dynamic change over time.
- A substantial percentage of eyes showed a ≥20% increase in GVF area within 2.5 years, a criterion often used to define positive treatment outcomes.
Conclusions:
- A significant increase in GVF area with age occurs in many children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies, particularly those under 12 years.
- These age-related GVF changes can occur irrespective of disease progression or stability.
- The findings indicate that GVF area changes in children with retinal dystrophies may be an unreliable indicator for treatment response and visual impairment counseling.
Purpose:
Kinetic visual field testing is used to monitor disease course in retinal dystrophy clinical care and treatment response in treatment trials, which are increasingly recruiting children. This study investigates Goldmann visual field (GVF) changes in young children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies as they age and with progression of the retinal degeneration.
Methods:
Retrospective review of children ≤ 17 years old with a mutation-proven retinal dystrophy. Objective clinical disease activity was assessed by a retinal degeneration specialist masked to GVF results. Digital quantification of GVF area was performed.
Results:
Twenty-nine children (58 eyes), ages 5-16, were identified. GVF area increased with age despite progression in 20 children and clinical stability in nine children. Mean ± standard error increase in GVF area/year was 333 ± 130 mm2 (I4e, p = 0.012), 720 ± 155 mm2 (III4e, p < 0.001), and 759 ± 167 mm2 (IV4e, p < 0.001), with greater increases at earlier ages. Repeatability coefficients were 7381 mm2 (I4e), 9379 mm2 (III4e), and 10346 mm2 (IV4e), indicating a large variability. At 2.5 years after the baseline GVF the area increased ≥ 20%, the criterion for positive treatment outcome defined in recent published therapeutic trials, in 38% (I4e), 34% (III4e), and 33% (IV4e) of eyes.
Conclusion:
In a substantial proportion of children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies, there is a significant increase in GVF area with age, particularly those < 12 years, despite progression or stability of disease. These findings suggest that change in GVF area in children with retinal dystrophies can be an unreliable measure of response to treatment and on which to base appropriate counseling about visual impairment.
More Related Videos
07:08Using Optical Coherence Tomography and Optokinetic Response As Structural and Functional Visual System Readouts in Mice and Rats
Published on: January 10, 2019
12:23Dynamic Visual Tests to Identify and Quantify Visual Damage and Repair Following Demyelination in Optic Neuritis Patients
Published on: April 14, 2014