title: Discrepancy between Visual Acuity and Microperimetry in AMD Patients: Visual Acuity Appears as an Inadequate Parameter to Test Macular Function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 0.8 or above in AMD patients can sometimes correspond to poor macular function inducing a serious visual handicap. Microperimetry can be used to objectivize this difference.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was undertaken on 233 files of AMD patients of whom 82 had had a microperimetry. BCVA was compared with microperimetry performance. All examinations were performed in an identical setting by the same team of 3 persons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 82 patients included, 32 (39.0%) had a BCVA equal to or above 0.8 even though their microperimetry performance was lower than 200/560 db. 10 of them (12.2% of total) had an even poorer microperimetry below 120/560 db indicating poor macular function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than a third of the AMD patients had a bad or very bad microperimetry performance in parallel with a good visual acuity. Microperimetry is a valuable tool to assess and follow real macular function in AMD patients when visual acuity alone can be misleading.
authors.affiliation: Inflammatory and Retinal Eye Diseases, Centre for Ophthalmic Specialised Care, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: B-K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Inflammatory and Retinal Eye Diseases, Centre for Ophthalmic Specialised Care, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Herbort
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods*