Fixation Disparity as a Function of Viewing Distance and Prism Load

Abstract

In binocular vision, fixation disparity is present when a fixation point falls within Panum's area, but not on corresponding retinal points. To investigate the effect of vergence load, fixation disparity was measured at viewing distances of 20, 30, 40, 60, and 100 cm (while the test subtended a constant angular size) by the psychophysical method of dichoptically presented nonius lines with a central fusion stimulus. As the viewing distance was shortened from 100 to 20 cm, mean fixation disparity changed monotonically from 1 min arc esophoria (ie the eyes converged in front of the target) to 3 min arc exophoria. The average standard deviation of the psychometric function, which is a measure of the temporal variability of vergence, was smallest at 100 cm (when fixation disparity was esophoric) and increased at shorter distances. Fixation disparity was also measured at a constant distance of 40 cm, but with prisms in front of the eyes that induced the same vergence angles as would be induced by viewing distances between 20 and 100 cm. The slope of these conventional ‘fixation disparity curves’ as a function of prism load correlated with the slope of fixation disparity as a function of viewing distance ( r=0.39, p=0.02, n=25). However, testing at different distances, as introduced here, has the advantage of preserving the natural interaction between vergence and accommodation. Since the change of fixation disparity with distance differed reliably among subjects (with a test — retest correlation of 0.65 in 34 subjects with good binocular vision) this measure may be useful for identifying subjects who are prone to near-vision complaints.