A Novel Technique for Measuring Ocular Duction Ranges

To report a novel technique for measuring ocular ductions and evaluate its performance in normal participants.

We developed a laser pointer technique (LPT), a novel technique for quantitative measurement of ocular ductions. The device consists of a screen and headset with a laser pointer. Participants rotate their head while wearing the headset maintaining fixation on an optotype in the center of the screen until the target becomes blurry. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were enrolled. The ocular ductions were measured with the LPT and compared to those of the Goldmann perimeter technique (GPT).

The mean horizontal and vertical duction ranges were 95.2° ± 10.1° and 84.1° ± 10.8° using the LPT, respectively, and 113.2° ± 14.1° and 105.8° ± 12.5° using the GPT, respectively; both were significantly greater in the GPT than LPT (both P < 0.05). The total time required for testing was shorter with the LPT compared to the GPT (56.1 ± 4.5 seconds and 92.3 ± 11.6 seconds, P = 0.003). Both the LPT and GPT measurements showed excellent intraobserver repeatability, and LPT showed better interobserver repeatability.

Considering its reproducibility, accuracy, and simplicity, the LPT is expected to be useful for evaluating patients with ocular motility disorders as a first-order evaluation in the absence of sophisticated examination devices.

The laser pointer technique, the new method for measuring ocular ductions, could be useful for evaluating patients with ocular motility disorders in clinical practice.