title: Feasibility of automated visual field examination in children between 5 and 8 years of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how young children develop the ability to undergo a visual field evaluation using regular automated perimetry.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 42 normal girls aged 5, 6, 7, and 8 years. Twelve locations in the 15 degrees eccentricity were tested in one eye, using an Octopus 2000R perimeter with a two level strategy. False positive and false negative catch trials were presented. The examination was performed three times in succession. Before the examination procedure, a specially designed programme was conducted for progressive familiarisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the familiarisation procedure, it was found that all of the 5-year-old children, seven of the 6-year-old children, and three of the 7-year-old children were unable to perform immediately, and correctly, the instructions given during the familiarisation phase; these children took from 30 seconds to 3 minutes to comply with the examiner's requests. With the exception of one 5-year-old child, all tested subjects completed the planned procedure. The mean proportion of false negative answers in catch trials was 1.6%. The mean proportion of false positive answers was 12.2%. The quadratic dependency on age suggested by the averages was not significant (F(3,116) = 0.88; p = 0.45). Detection stimulus improved with age, as shown by the fact that probability of perceiving dim stimulus increases significantly (F(3,116) = 12.68; p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children did remarkably well regarding both the duration of the examination and the reliability of the answers. A preliminary familiarisation phase with a specially designed adaptation programme was found to be mandatory with children aged 7 or under. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such an investigation has been performed.
authors: Neuro-ophthalmology Unit, Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland.
authors: A B
authors: AB
authors: Safran
authors: G L
authors: GL
authors: Laffi
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bullinger
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Viviani
authors: C
authors: C
authors: de Weisse
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Désangles
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Tschopp
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Mermoud
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods*