Repeatability of the Waterloo Four-Contrast LogMAR Visual Acuity chart and Near Vision Test card on a group of normal young adults.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the repeatability of logMAR visual acuity (VA) with the Waterloo Four-Contrast LogMAR Visual Acuity (FCLVA) chart and the Near Vision Test (NVT) card. The differences and agreements between near logMAR VA using horizontally- and vertically-presented letters were also determined.


METHODS
Visual acuity of one eye (55 subjects) was first assessed by using the FCLVA chart, comprising four charts of varying contrast, and then with the NVT card (comprising four charts of two contrasts and two presentations). Measurements were repeated after 3 or 4 weeks.


RESULTS
No significant between-visit differences were observed for any of the charts used. The repeatability coefficient for the distance 90, 60, 30 and 10% charts were 0.07, 0.11, 0.15 and 0.16 log units, respectively. The repeatability coefficients of the near vision charts were 0.06, 0.04 (high contrast), 0.11 and 0.10 (low contrast) log units. The agreements between horizontally- and vertically-presented letters were good. The differences were similar to the repeatability coefficient of each chart.


CONCLUSIONS
The repeatability coefficient of the high contrast distance and near chart was about half a line. Repeatability coefficients increase with decreasing contrasts for both distance and near charts, with coefficients of one line or more for low contrast charts. Variabilities in both distance and near VA increase with decrease in contrast. The presentation of the letters does not affect near VA and the agreement between horizontally- and vertically-presented letters (both high and low contrast) was within the repeatability coefficient of each chart.
Department of Optometry and Radiography, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, SAR, China. orpaulin@polyu.edu.hk
Pauline
P
Cho
George C
GC
Woo
D000328:Adult; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014787:Vision Tests / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*