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Abstract #26517 Published in IGR 12-3
Patterns of colour vision loss in patients with retinal and optic nerve disease
Rodriguez-Carmona M; O'Neill-Biba M; Barbur JLNeuro-Ophthalmology 2010; 34: 139-140
Aim: Diseases of the retina and/or the optic nerve can affect both red/green (RG) and yellow/blue (YB) chromatic sensitivity in different ways. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in the pattern of colour vision loss in patients with retinal and/or optic nerve disease. We also assessed the usefulness of measuring early changes in chromatic sensitivity as a predictor of retinopathy. METHODS: RG and YB chromatic detection thresholds were measured using the Colour Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) test in a large number of normal subjects and in patients diagnosed with ocular pathologies, such as agerelated, macular degeneration (ARMD), diabetes, glaucoma and optic neuritis. A full clinical assessment was also carried out, including high contrast and visual acuity measurements and fundus examination. RESULTS: Specific patterns of RG and YB colour vision loss were observed in patients with different ocular diseases. Retinal diseases like ARMD, yield significant loss of YB sensitivity, whilst RG sensitivity is less affected. Diabetic subjects, on the other hand, show almost equivalent RG and YB loss. Optic nerve diseases such as glaucoma can, in some patients, produce skewed RG loss or/and YB loss, whilst optic neuritis tends to cause similar RG and YB loss that varies in severity from mild to complete loss of both RG and YB chromatic sensitivity. In addition, a number of asymptomatic, normal subjects also showed significant loss of both RG and YB chromatic sensitivity that may precede the first clinical signs of eye disease. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate colour vision assessments based on knowledge of variability within normal trichromats1 can be used to detect loss of chromatic sensitivity in diseases of the eye that precede clinical diagnosis. It remains to be established the extent to which differences in the pattern of RG and YB loss, dependence on stimulus size and topographic distribution can be used to make colour assessment specific to different diseases of the eye.
M. Rodriguez-Carmona. Applied Vision Research Centre, Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Vision Sciences, City University, LondonUnited Kingdom.
Classification:
6.30 Other (Part of: 6 Clinical examination methods)
