Decreased Binocular Summation in Strabismic Amblyopes and Effect of Strabismus Surgery
- 3 April 2017
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Strabismus
- Vol. 25 (2), 73-80
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09273972.2017.1318153
Abstract
Purpose: Binocular summation (BiS) occurs when binocular visual function surpasses that of the better eye alone. We sought to evaluate whether strabismic amblyopia reduces BiS more than strabismus alone, and determine whether BiS improves in strabismic amblyopes after strabismus surgery. Methods: We prospectively recruited 15 patients with strabismic amblyopia who then underwent strabismus surgery. Thirty age-matched normal subjects and 30 non-amblyopic strabismic patients served as controls. Subjects underwent binocular and monocular visual acuity testing on high-contrast Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) as well as 2.5% and 1.25% Sloan low contrast acuity (LCA) charts. BiS was calculated as the difference between better eye and binocular scores. Results: Strabismic amblyopes and strabismic controls did not significantly differ in preoperative BiS, but both had subnormal BiS preoperatively on LCA charts. Among 11 strabismic amblyopes with preoperative and postoperative BiS measurements, average postoperative BiS was not significantly different from preoperative. Improved LCA BiS postoperatively occurred in some patients and was associated with measurable preoperative stereoacuity (P=0.02), older age at strabismus onset (P=0.02), and larger preoperative angle of strabismus (P=0.0043).Conclusions: In this preliminary study, strabismic amblyopes experienced subnormal BiS, but amblyopia generally did not further impair BiS beyond that due to strabismus alone. Some strabismic amblyopes experienced improved low-contrast BiS after strabismus surgery. This suggests that further investigation in larger groups of patients should be undertaken to analyze a previously unrecognized functional benefit of strabismus surgery in strabismic amblyopes.Keywords
Funding Information
- Knights Templar Eye Foundation (NA)
- National Institutes of Health (EY008313)
- Oppenheimer Family Foundation (NA)
- NIH/NEI (K23EY021762)
- Walt and Lily Disney Award for Amblyopia Research (NA)
- Research to Prevent Blindness (Disney Award)
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Restoration of Binocular Vision in AmblyopiaStrabismus, 2011
- Binocular Summation of Contrast Remains Intact in Strabismic AmblyopiaInvestigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2007
- The Critical Period for Susceptibility of Human StereopsisInvestigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2005
- Binocular summation in the fovea and peripheral field of anisometropic amblyopesCurrent Eye Research, 2000
- Changes in Retinal Correspondence after Changes in Ocular AlignmentOptometry and Vision Science, 1991
- Binocular interaction in the peripheral visual field of humans with strabismic and anisometropic amblyopiaVision Research, 1981
- Binocular interactions in normal and anomalous binocular visionDocumenta Ophthalmologica, 1980
- Binocular summation in normal and stereoblind humansVision Research, 1977
- Squint and the development of binocularity in humansNature, 1975
- Monocular versus Binocular Visual AcuityNature, 1965