Effect of yellow filter on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity under glare condition among different age groups

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of yellow filter on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity under glare condition for various ages. A total of 60 subjects, aged 5-60years, with no ocular pathology and no previous surgery were assessed in this cross-sectional study. We divided subjects into six subgroups according to their ages, and the number of subjects in each group was 10: group 1, aged 5-10years; group 2, aged 11-20years; group 3, aged 21-30years; group 4, aged 31-40years; group 5, aged 41-50years; and group 6, aged 51-60years. Snellen visual acuity and Pelli Robson contrast sensitivity with and without glare and with the use of yellow filter under glare condition were determined. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS, version 20. Our results showed a significant reduction in contrast sensitivity under glare condition in all age groups (p=0.000), which improved significantly with the use of yellow filter (p=0.000). Although when data in different age groups were analyzed separately, this improvement was only significant in older subjects, aged 51-60years (p=0.007). No significant difference was found between Snellen visual acuity with and without glare (p=0.083), and also we found no yellow filter effect on visual acuity under glare condition. We conclude that yellow filter, which absorbs short wavelength, may provide significant contrast sensitivity benefits for individuals and influences older subjects more than younger ones.