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An exploratory study of visual search performance in glaucoma
Author(s) -
Smith Nicholas D,
Crabb David P,
GarwayHeath David F
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
ophthalmic and physiological optics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.147
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1475-1313
pISSN - 0275-5408
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-1313.2011.00836.x
Subject(s) - interquartile range , visual field , visual acuity , glaucoma , medicine , visual search , ophthalmology , contrast (vision) , optometry , audiology , psychology , artificial intelligence , surgery , computer science , cognitive psychology
Citation information: Smith ND, Crabb DP & Garway‐Heath DF. An exploratory study of visual search performance in glaucoma. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31 , 225–232. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011.00836.x Abstract Purpose: Visual search plays an integral role in many daily activities. This study aimed to determine whether patients with glaucoma are slower than visually healthy age‐matched individuals when searching for items in computer displayed images. Methods: Forty participants were recruited for the study: 20 patients with a clinical diagnosis of glaucoma and 20 age‐similar visually healthy control subjects. All participants had visual acuity of 6/12 or better. Participants were presented with 20 images with Landolt C symbols and 15 photographic images of everyday scenes on a computer. The time taken by each participant to locate a specified item in each image was recorded. Average search times were calculated across participants and compared between groups. Results: All the patients had visual field defects in both eyes. On average, the patients also differed from control subjects by binocular contrast sensitivity measurements ( p = 0.01) and visual acuity ( p = 0.003). The patients (mean age = 67 years, S.D.: 10 years) and controls (mean age: 67 years, S.D.: 11 years) were age similar ( p = 0.40). The median search time for patients finding target items in photographs of everyday scenes was 15.2 s (interquartile range 9.4–20.6 s) and this was significantly slower than the median time (10.0 s; interquartile range 7.2–10.3 s) taken by the controls ( p = 0.007). There was no statistical evidence for a difference in median search times between groups in the Landolt C search task ( p = 0.24). Conclusion: Some individuals with glaucomatous visual field defects in both eyes find it especially difficult to locate objects in photographs of everyday scenes when compared to visually healthy individuals of a similar age.