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Changes in Fixation Stability with Time during Binocular and Monocular Viewing in Maculopathy
Saba Samet1,2, Esther G González1,3, Mark S Mandelcorn3
1Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada.
Vision (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 19, 2019
Summary
Fixation stability in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients was assessed. While binocular and better-eye monocular viewing showed no change, the worse eye demonstrated improved fixation stability over time.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Vision Science
Background:
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects central vision.
- Assessing visual function in AMD is crucial for understanding disease progression and developing interventions.
- Fixation stability is a key component of visual performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in fixation stability over time in patients with AMD.
- To compare fixation stability during binocular and monocular viewing conditions.
- To evaluate fixation stability in relation to disease severity (better vs. worse eye).
Main Methods:
- Seventeen patients with AMD and 17 controls participated.
- EyeLink eyetracker recorded fixation stability during 15-second trials.
- Binocular and monocular viewing conditions were tested.
- Fixation stability was analyzed using bivariate contour ellipse area over 3-second intervals.
Main Results:
- Fixation stability remained constant over time during binocular viewing for both groups.
- Control participants showed stable fixation monocularly.
- AMD patients demonstrated stable fixation monocularly with their better eye.
- AMD patients showed significant linear improvement in fixation stability with time when using their worse eye (p=0.016).
Conclusions:
- Monocular fixational control with the worse eye in AMD patients is initially poor.
- Despite initial deficits, patients with AMD show adaptive improvement in fixation stability over time with their worse eye.
- These findings highlight the dynamic nature of visual compensation in AMD.
