Evaluation of the presence of a central fusion lock effect on fixation disparity curve parameters in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects.

Clinical relevance: Several parameters are likely to affect the magnitude of fixation disparity (FD) and FD curve characteristics. Presence of a central fusion lock may have an important effect on clinical testing of FD and interpretation of its results.

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate FD curve parameters using the modified near Mallett unit (with a central fusion lock) and the Sheedy disparometer (without a central fusion lock) in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 147 patients with a mean age of 22.5 years who presented to the optometry clinic of Paramedical College of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The symptoms were recorded in a questionnaire for each patient. FD was measured using the modified near Mallett unit and Sheedy disparometer and FD curves were generated using the AutoCAD 2005 software.

Results

There was a significant difference in the FD, associated phoria, and slope measurements between the two devices (all p values < 0.05). Significant difference was found in the mean FD between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects using the modified near Mallett unit (p < 0.0001) and Sheey disparometer (p = 0.007). In symptomatic subjects, the mean slope was steeper for the modified near Mallett unit compared to the Sheedy disparometer (p = 0.001). Although the mean centre of symmetry was more negative in the modified near Mallett unit versus the Sheedy disparometer, the difference between the instruments was not significant in symptomatic (p = 0.477) and asymptomatic (p = 0.257) participants.

Conclusion

There are differences in the FD curve parameters between the modified near Mallett unit and Sheedy disparometer. Slope is a proper criterion for differentiating asymptomatic subjects from symptomatic individuals. The modified near Mallett unit is a more precise tool for assessment of non-compensated heterophoria compared to the Sheedy disparometer.