title: Quick contrast sensitivity measurements in the periphery.
abstract: Measuring the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) in the periphery of the eye is complicated. The lengthy measurement time precludes all but the most determined subjects. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate a faster routine based on the quick CSF method (qCSF) but adapted to work in the periphery. Additionally, normative data is presented on neurally limited peripheral CSFs. A peripheral qCSF measurement using 100 trials can be performed in 3 min. The precision and accuracy were tested for three subjects under different conditions (number of trials, peripheral angles, and optical corrections). The precision for estimates of contrast sensitivity at individual spatial frequencies was 0.07 log units when three qCSF measurements of 100 trials each were averaged. Accuracy was estimated by comparing the qCSF results with a more traditional measure of CSF. Average accuracy was 0.08 log units with no systematic error. In the second part of the study, we collected three CSFs of 100 trials for six persons in the 20° nasal, temporal, inferior, and superior visual fields. The measurements were performed in an adaptive optics system running in a continuous closed loop. The Tukey HSD test showed significant differences (p < 0.05) between all fields except between the nasal and the temporal fields. Contrast sensitivity was higher in the horizontal fields, and the inferior field was better than the superior. This modified qCSF method decreases the measurement time significantly and allows otherwise unfeasible studies of the peripheral CSF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Biomedical and X-ray Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosén
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Biomedical and X-ray Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lundström
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Biomedical and X-ray Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Abinaya Priya
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Venkataraman
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Biomedical and X-ray Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Biomedical and X-ray Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Unsbo
mesh_terms: D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011601:Psychophysics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014787:Vision Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014794:Visual Fields
keywords: adaptive optics; contrast sensitivity; peripheral vision; qCSF