Binocular balance across spatial frequency in anisomyopia.

PURPOSE: Anisomyopia is prevalent in myopia and studies have reported it exhibits impaired binocular function. We investigated the binocular balance across spatial frequency in adults with anisomyopia and compared it to in individuals with less differences in refractive error, and examined whether ocular characteristics can predict binocular balance in anisomyopia.

METHODS

Fifteen anisomyopes, 15 isomyopes and 12 emmetropes were recruited. Binocular balance was quantitatively measured at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 c/d. The first two groups of the observers were tested with and without optical correction with contact lenses. Emmetropes were tested without optical correction.

RESULTS

Binocular balance across spatial frequency in optically corrected anisomyopes and isomyopes, as well as emmetropes were found to be similar. Their binocular balance nevertheless still got worse as a function of spatial frequency. However, before optical correction, anisomyopes but not isomyopes showed significant imbalance at higher spatial frequencies. There was a significant correlation between the dependence on spatial frequency of binocular imbalance in uncorrected anisomyopia and interocular difference in visual acuity, and between the dependence and interocular difference in spherical equivalent refraction.

CONCLUSION

Anisomyopes had intact binocular balance following correction across spatial frequency compared to those in isomyopes and emmetropes. Their balance was weakly correlated with their refractive status after optical correction. However, their binocular balance before correction and binocular improvement following optical correction were strongly correlated with differences in ocular characteristics between eyes.