The effects of diffusion blur on Snellen and grating acuity and foveal function in amblyopia

Abstract

In order to verify that the effects of diffusion blur on Snellen and grating acuity in amblyopic eyes resemble those obtained from the peripheral or central retina in normal controls, we conducted the following experiment using a liquid crystal window (Edmund Scientific Co.) to produce diffusion blur on Snellen and grating acuity. Spatial frequencies used for a Snellen chart and Teller acuity card were 3.2, 6.5, 13.0, 26.0 cyc/cm at a working distance of 55 cm. The values of diffusive blur on central and peripheral visual acuity obtained from 20 normal healthy control eyes were compared with those values of central visual acuity in 26 amblyopic eyes. The diffusion blur had a strong negative effect on both Snellen and grating acuity in amblyopic eyes, but it had more potent effects on grating acuity (p < 0.05). The diffusion blur values obtained from the central amblyopic retina were more compatible with those of the central retina than with those of the peripheral retina in the control group (p > 0.05). Snellen acuity obtained from diffusion blur overestimated grating acuity in the normal central acuity group and amblyopic central acuity group. The result of this investigation demonstrated that the liquid crystal diffusion blur had a strong negative effect on both Snellen and grating acuity and suggested that the visual function of an amblyopic retina resembled that of a normal central retina.