Eye dominance and testing order effects in the circularly-oriented macular pigment optical density measurements that rely on the perception of structured light-based stimuli

TL;DR

This study assesses how eye dominance and testing order influence structured light-based measurements of macular pigment density, finding minimal impact and supporting the reliability of this method for eye health screening.

Contribution

It demonstrates that eye dominance and testing order have negligible effects on SL-based coMPOD measurements, validating the method's robustness for clinical screening.

Findings

High correlation (r=0.8) between eye dominance and testing order effects.

Minimal bias observed in Bland-Altman analysis.

Repeatable measurements suggest reliability of SL-based assessments.

Abstract

Psychophysical discrimination of structured light (SL) stimuli may be useful in screening for various macular disorders, including degenerative macular diseases. The circularly-oriented macular pigment optical density (coMPOD), calculated from the discrimination performance of SL-induced entoptic phenomena, may reveal a novel functional biomarker of macular health. In this study, we investigated the potential influence of eye dominance and testing order effects on SL-based stimulus perception, factors that potentially influence the sensitivity of screening tests based on SL technology. A total of 28 participants (aged 18-38 years) were selected for the study after undergoing a comprehensive eye examination. A psychophysical task was performed where various SL-based entoptic images with multiple azimuthal fringes rotating with a specific temporal frequency were projected onto the participants' retinas. By occluding the central areas of entoptic images, we measured the retinal eccentricity ($R$) of the perceivable area of the stimuli. The slope of the coMPOD profile ($a$-value) was calculated for each participant using a spatiotemporal sensitivity model that takes into account the perceptual threshold measurements of structured light stimuli with varying spatial densities and temporal frequencies. The Pearson correlation coefficient between eye dominance and testing order effects was $r=0.8$ ($p<0.01$). The Bland-Altman plots for both factors indicated zero bias. The results indicate repeatable measurements for both eyes, implying minimal impact from eye dominance and testing order on SL-based stimulus perception. The results provide a foundation for future studies exploring the clinical utility of SL tools in eye health.