Assessing Visual Function in Retinal Gene Therapy

Conventional tests of visual function include measures such as visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, perimetry, and color vision. However, standard clinical tests are typically designed to test those with normal or near-normal sensitivities. Such tests may be inappropriate where profound vision loss exists, as may be the case in retinal gene therapy if the therapy is nascent and/or the therapy is unable to fully restore the visual system. Here we provide step-by-step instructions for performing a battery of three computerized tests to quantify light detection, light localization, and motion detection, in eyes with profound vision loss. The tests use conventional computer hardware, do not require extensive calibration, and are relatively short to perform.