Comparison of the visual effects of Fresnel prisms in normal and amblyopic eyes.

Purpose: To assess the effects of Fresnel prisms on visual acuity and peak contrast sensitivity in the amblyopic and sound eyes of participants with amblyopia and to determine whether these functions were affected by Fresnel prisms to a different degree than those of controls.

Methods: The LogMAR visual acuity and peak contrast sensitivity of 10 unilateral amblyopic participants (mean age, 22.6 years) and 9 controls (mean age, 26.2 years) were tested with Fresnel prisms of powers 5(Delta), 10(Delta), 15(Delta), 20(Delta), and 25(Delta) and without a Fresnel prism.

Results: A statistically significant reduction in visual acuity with increasing prism power was found for all 3 groups, with the visual acuity of the amblyopic eyes being the least affected by the prisms. No statistically significant differences were found between the control and the sound eyes. No statistically significant differences in the effects of the prisms on peak contrast sensitivity could be detected between the 3 groups. Fresnel prisms were found to have a smaller effect on those amblyopic eyes with a poorer baseline visual acuity, indicating that these eyes may tolerate strong prisms without substantially impairing their visual acuity.

Conclusions: Fresnel prisms have a lesser effect on the visual acuity of amblyopic eyes than on controls. In contrast, results for peak contrast sensitivity were very similar for each of the groups tested, and no significant differences were evident between the amblyopic, sound, and control eyes.