A Convenient and Robust Test to Quantify Interocular Suppression for Children With Amblyopia

Abstract

Interocular suppression was quantified by the interocular luminance difference that was needed when the two eyes were balanced in discriminating a black-white stripe formed butterfly stimulus, which was dichoptically presented through polarized glasses. Stronger interocular suppression was found in amblyopes than that in controls at both the near (33 cm, 0.95 ± 1.00 vs. 0.14 ± 0.18, <i>p</i> < .001) and far (5 m, 2.18 ± 0.97 vs. 0.24 ± 0.16, <i>p</i> < .001) viewing distances. The interocular suppression in amblyopes was significantly correlated with the interocular visual acuity difference, the visual acuity of amblyopic eye, the Worth-4-Dot test, and the stereo acuity at both the near and far distances (for all cases, <i>p</i> < .001). Our new test enables convenient and robust measurements of interocular suppression in children with amblyopia. The measured interocular suppression is in agreement with other clinical measures.