An Automated Visual Psychophysics Method to Measure Visual Function in Swine Preclinical Animal Model.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a test to assess visual function in pigs using the visual psychophysics contrast sensitivity function. We utilized a touchscreen along with a pellet reward dispenser to train three Göttingen pigs on a visual psychophysics test and determined their contrast sensitivity function. Images with different contrast resolutions were used as visual stimuli and presented against a control image in a two-choice test. Following animals' acclimatization and the first phase of training, the system was arranged such that animals could self-run multiple consecutive trials without human intervention. All animals were trained within a week and remembered the task with 1 day of reinforcement when tested 1 month after the last visual assessment. All trained animals performed well during the trial with minimal screen side bias, especially at contrast threshold above 40%. Göttingen pigs are trainable for a visual psychophysics test and able to self-run the trial without human intervention. Contrast sensitivity is one of the key parameters to assess visual function in humans. The possibility of measuring the same parameters in a large animal model allows for a better translation and understanding of drug safety and efficacy in preclinical ophthalmology.