Novel Quantitative Contrast Sensitivity Function Enhances the Prediction of Treatment Outcome and Recurrence in Amblyopia.

Purpose: Although effective amblyopia treatments are available, treatment outcome is unpredictable, and the condition recurs in up to 25% of the patients. We aimed to evaluate whether a large-scale quantitative contrast sensitivity function (CSF) data source, coupled with machine learning (ML) algorithms, can predict amblyopia treatment response and recurrence in individuals.

Methods: Visual function measures from traditional chart vision acuity (VA) and novel CSF assessments were used as the main predictive variables in the models.

Association between time spent on smartphones and digital eye strain: A 1-year prospective observational study among Hong Kong children and adolescents.

Prolonged electronic screen use can cause digital eye strain. It can be difficult to rectify due to increasing smartphone reliance, potentially leading to serious public health problems. To investigate the association between time spent on smartphones and digital eye strain (DES) among Hong Kong Chinese school-aged children.

Bilberry-containing supplements on severe dry eye disease in young and middle-aged adults: A 3-month pilot analysis.

Purpose: To explore the effect of bilberry and fish oil combination supplement on a small clinical sample patient-base with severe dry eyes.

Methods: Twenty-four subjects were recruited with twelve randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups, respectively. Inclusion criteria included severe dry eye symptoms determined by scores >33 from the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire.

Assessing the contrast sensitivity function in myopic parafovea: A quick contrast sensitivity functions study.

Purpose: Compare peripheral contrast sensitivity functions (CSF) between myopes and emmetropes to reveal potential myogenic risks during emmetropization.

Materials And Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, non-consecutive case study included data from 19 myopes (23.42 ± 4.

The Integration of Eye Tracking Responses for the Measurement of Contrast Sensitivity: A Proof of Concept Study.

Contrast sensitivity (CS) is important when assessing functional vision. However, current techniques for assessing CS are not suitable for young children or non-verbal individuals because they require reliable, subjective perceptual reports. This study explored the feasibility of applying eye tracking technology to quantify CS as a first step toward developing a testing paradigm that will not rely on observers' behavioral or language abilities.

Sensitivity and Stability of Functional Vision Tests in Detecting Subtle Changes Under Multiple Simulated Conditions.

Purpose: To explore whether subtle changes in visual quality can be detected using different measures of visual function against the quick contrast sensitivity function test (quick CSF).

Methods: Sixty participants, aged 17 to 34 years, were enrolled. Participants' vision was degraded by 0.

Association between Time Spent on Smart Devices and Change in Refractive Error: A 1-Year Prospective Observational Study among Hong Kong Children and Adolescents.

This study examined the association between smart device usage and the 1-year change in refractive error among a representative sample of Hong Kong children and adolescents aged 8-14 years. A total of 1597 participants (49.9% male, mean age 10.

Dichoptic training improves contrast sensitivity in adults with amblyopia.

Dichoptic training is designed to promote binocular vision in patients with amblyopia. Initial studies have found that the training effects transfer to both binocular (stereopsis) and monocular (recognition acuity) visual functions. The aim of this study was to assess whether dichoptic training effects also transfer to contrast sensitivity (CS) in adults with amblyopia.

Quantitative measurement of interocular suppression in anisometropic amblyopia: a case-control study.

Objective: The aims of this study were to assess (1) the relationship between interocular suppression and visual function in patients with anisometropic amblyopia, (2) whether suppression can be simulated in matched controls using monocular defocus or neutral density filters, (3) the effects of spectacle or rigid gas-permeable contact lens correction on suppression in patients with anisometropic amblyopia, and (4) the relationship between interocular suppression and outcomes of occlusion therapy.

Design: Case-control study (aims 1-3) and cohort study (aim 4).

Participants: Forty-five participants with anisometropic amblyopia and 45 matched controls (mean age, 8.

Dichoptic training enables the adult amblyopic brain to learn.

Adults with amblyopia, a common visual cortex disorder caused primarily by binocular disruption during an early critical period, do not respond to conventional therapy involving occlusion of one eye. But it is now clear that the adult human visual cortex has a significant degree of plasticity, suggesting that something must be actively preventing the adult brain from learning to see through the amblyopic eye. One possibility is an inhibitory signal from the contralateral eye that suppresses cortical inputs from the amblyopic eye.

How best to assess suppression in patients with high anisometropia.

Purpose: We have recently described a rapid technique for measuring suppression using a dichoptic signal/noise task. Here, we report a modification of this technique that allows for accurate measurements to be made in amblyopic patients with high levels of anisometropia. This was necessary because aniseikonic image size differences between the two eyes can provide a cue for signal/noise segregation and, therefore, influence suppression measurement in these patients.

Does partial occlusion promote normal binocular function?

Purpose: There is growing evidence that abnormal binocular interactions play a key role in the amblyopia syndrome and represent a viable target for treatment interventions. In this context the use of partial occlusion using optical devices such as Bangerter filters as an alternative to complete occlusion is of particular interest. The aims of this study were to understand why Bangerter filters do not result in improved binocular outcomes compared to complete occlusion, and to compare the effects of Bangerter filters, optical blur and neutral density (ND) filters on normal binocular function.

The role of suppression in amblyopia.

Purpose: This study had three main goals: to assess the degree of suppression in patients with strabismic, anisometropic, and mixed amblyopia; to establish the relationship between suppression and the degree of amblyopia; and to compare the degree of suppression across the clinical subgroups within the sample.

Methods: Using both standard measures of suppression (Bagolini lenses and neutral density [ND] filters, Worth 4-Dot test) and a new approach involving the measurement of dichoptic motion thresholds under conditions of variable interocular contrast, the degree of suppression in 43 amblyopic patients with strabismus, anisometropia, or a combination of both was quantified.

Results: There was good agreement between the quantitative measures of suppression made with the new dichoptic motion threshold technique and measurements made with standard clinical techniques (Bagolini lenses and ND filters, Worth 4-Dot test).

Relationships among diabetic retinopathy, antioxidants, and glycemic control.

Purpose: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is increasing worldwide and affects ∼11% of the Hong Kong population. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common cause of vision loss in type 2 DM. Risk of DR is increased by poor glycemic control, elevated lipids, and blood pressure, but it is not possible to predict the development or progression of DR at an individual level.

Quantifying sensory eye dominance in the normal visual system: a new technique and insights into variation across traditional tests.

Purpose: Although eye dominance assessment is used to assist clinical decision-making, current understanding is limited by inconsistencies across the range of available tests. A new psychophysical test of sensory eye dominance has been developed that objectively measures the relative contribution of each eye to a fused suprathreshold binocular percept.

Methods: Six standard tests and the newly developed test were used to measure motor and sensory dominance in a group of 44 binocularly normal individuals (mean age, 29.