Top

Published in:

01-10-2019 | Evoked Potential | Original Research Article

Objective and quantitative assessment of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity based on steady-state motion visual evoked potentials using concentric-ring paradigm

Authors: Xiaowei Zheng, Guanghua Xu, Yunyun Wang, Chengcheng Han, Chenghang Du, Wenqaing Yan, Sicong Zhang, Renghao Liang

Published in: Documenta Ophthalmologica | Issue 2/2019

Abstract

Purpose

The traditional assessment of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity depends more on subjective judgments. Steady-state motion visual evoked potentials (SSMVEPs) can provide an objective and quantitative method to evaluate visual functions such as visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Here, we explored the possibility of objective SSMVEP visual acuity and contrast sensitivity testing, and compared its performance with that of psychophysical methods.

Methods

In this study, we designed a specific concentric ring with oscillating expansion and contraction SSMVEP paradigm to assess visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. By changing the parameters of the paradigm, the SSMVEP paradigm with different contrasts and spatial frequencies corresponding to different visual acuity and contrast sensitivity was designed. Moreover, we proposed a threshold determination criterion to define the corresponding objective SSMVEP visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.

Results

We tested visual acuity and contrast sensitivity of sixteen healthy adults utilizing this paradigm with an electroencephalography system. Our data suggested that there was no significant difference between objective visual acuity and contrast sensitivity measurements based on the SSMVEPs and subjective psychophysical ones.

Conclusion

Our study proved that SSMVEPs can be an objective and quantitative method to measure visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.

Bourne RRA, Flaxman SR, Braithwaite T, Cicinelli MV, Das A, Jonas JB, Keeffe J, Kempen JH, Leasher J, Limburg H, Naidoo K, Pesudovs K, Resnikoff S, Silvester A, Stevens GA, Tahhan N, Wong TY, Taylor HR, Vision Loss Expert G (2017) Magnitude, temporal trends, and projections of the global prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health 5(9):e888–e897. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30293-0 CrossRef

World Health Organization (2018) Blindness and visual impairment. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment. Accessed 11 Oct 2018

Mackay A (2003) Assessing children’s visual acuity with steady state evoked potentials. Dissertation, University of Glasgow

Hemptinne C, Liu-Shuang J, Yuksel D, Rossion B (2018) Rapid objective assessment of contrast sensitivity and visual acuity with sweep visual evoked potentials and an extended electrode array. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 59(2):1144–1157. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.17-23248 CrossRefPubMed

Heinrich SP, Bock CM, Bach M (2016) Imitating the effect of amblyopia on VEP-based acuity estimates. Doc Ophthalmol 133(3):183–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-016-9565-7 CrossRef

Alves Pereira S, Costa MF (2012) Visual acuity evaluation in children with hydrocephalus: an electrophysiological study with sweep visual evoked potential. World J Neurosci 02(01):36–43. https://doi.org/10.4236/wjns.2012.21006 CrossRef

Kurtenbach A, Langrová H, Messias A, Zrenner E, Jägle H (2013) A comparison of the performance of three visual evoked potential-based methods to estimate visual acuity. Documenta ophthalmologica Adv Ophthalmol 126(1):45–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-012-9359-5 CrossRef

Vesely P (2015) Contribution of sVEP visual acuity testing in comparison with subjective visual acuity. Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub 159(4):616–621. https://doi.org/10.5507/bp.2015.002 CrossRefPubMed

Norcia AM, Tyler CW (1985) Spatial frequency sweep VEP: visual acuity during the first year of life. Vis Res 25(10):1399–1408. https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6989(85)90217-2 CrossRefPubMed

10.

Almoqbel FM, Yadav NK, Leat SJ, Head LM, Irving EL (2011) Effects of sweep VEP parameters on visual acuity and contrast thresholds in children and adults. Graefe’s Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 249(4):613–623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-010-1469-8 CrossRef

11.

Zhou P, Zhao MW, Li XX, Hu XF, Wu X, Niu LJ, Yu WZ, Xu XL (2008) A new method of extrapolating the sweep pattern visual evoked potential acuity. Doc Ophthalmol 117(2):85–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-007-9095-4 CrossRefPubMed

12.

Norcia AM, Tyler CW, Hamer RD, Wesemann W (1989) Measurement of spatial contrast sensitivity with the swept contrast VEP. Vis Res 29(5):627–637. https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6989(89)90048-5 CrossRefPubMed

13.

Han C, Xu G, Xie J, Chen C, Zhang S (2018) Highly interactive brain-computer interface based on flicker-free steady-state motion visual evoked potential. Sci Rep 8(1):5835. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24008-8 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

14.

Yan W, Xu G, Xie J, Li M, Dan Z (2018) Four novel motion paradigms based on steady-state motion visual evoked potential. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 65(8):1696–1704. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2017.2762690 CrossRefPubMed

15.

Xie J, Xu G, Wang J, Zhang F, Zhang Y (2012) Steady-state motion visual evoked potentials produced by oscillating Newton’s rings: implications for brain-computer interfaces. PLoS ONE 7(6):e39707. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0039707 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

16.

Bach M, Maurer JP, Wolf ME (2008) Visual evoked potential-based acuity assessment in normal vision, artificially degraded vision, and in patients. Br J Ophthalmol 92(3):396–403. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.2007.130245 CrossRef

17.

Hoffmann MB, Brands J, Behrens-Baumann W, Bach M (2017) VEP-based acuity assessment in low vision. Doc Ophthalmol 135(3):209–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-017-9613-y CrossRef

18.

Brainard DH (1997) The Psychophysics Toolbox. Spat Vis 10(4):433–436. https://doi.org/10.1163/156856897X00357 CrossRef

19.

Franco S, Silva AC, Carvalho AS, Macedo AS, Lira M (2010) Comparison of the VCTS-6500 and the CSV-1000 tests for visual contrast sensitivity testing. NeuroToxicology 31(6):758–761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2010.06.004 CrossRefPubMed

20.

Han C, Xu G, Xie J, Li M, Zhang S, Luo A (2017) An eighty-target high-speed Chinese BCI speller. In: 2017 39th annual international conference of the IEEE engineering in medicine and biology society (EMBC), 11–15 July 2017, pp 1652–1655. https://doi.org/10.1109/embc.2017.8037157

21.

Meigen T, Bach M (1999) On the statistical significance of electrophysiological steady-state responses. Doc Ophthalmol 98(3):207–232. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002097208337 CrossRefPubMed

22.

McBain VA, Robson AG, Hogg CR, Holder GE (2007) Assessment of patients with suspected non-organic visual loss using pattern appearance visual evoked potentials. Graefe’s Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 245(4):502–510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-006-0431-2 CrossRef

23.

Abdullah SN, Vaegan Boon MY, Maddess T (2012) Contrast-response functions of the multifocal steady-state VEP (MSV). Clin Neurophysiol 123(9):1865–1871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2012.02.067 CrossRefPubMed

24.

Wenner Y, Heinrich SP, Beisse C, Fuchs A, Bach M (2014) Visual evoked potential-based acuity assessment: overestimation in amblyopia. Doc Ophthalmol 128(3):191–200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-014-9432-3 CrossRefPubMed

25.

Hess RF, Mansouri B, Thompson B (2010) A new binocular approach to the treatment of amblyopia in adults well beyond the critical period of visual development. Restor Neurol Neurosci 28(6):793–802. https://doi.org/10.3233/rnn-2010-0550 CrossRefPubMed

26.

Holmes JM, Lazar EL, Melia BM, Astle WF, Dagi LR, Donahue SP, Frazier MG, Hertle RW, Repka MX, Quinn GE, Weise KK (2011) Effect of age on response to amblyopia treatment in children. Arch Ophthalmol 129(11):1451–1457. https://doi.org/10.1001/archophthalmol.2011.179 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Title: Objective and quantitative assessment of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity based on steady-state motion visual evoked potentials using concentric-ring paradigm
Authors: Xiaowei Zheng
Guanghua Xu
Yunyun Wang
Chengcheng Han
Chenghang Du
Wenqaing Yan
Sicong Zhang
Renghao Liang
Publication date: 01-10-2019
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Evoked Potential
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potential
Published in: Documenta Ophthalmologica / Issue 2/2019
Print ISSN: 0012-4486
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2622
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-019-09702-w

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Objective and quantitative assessment of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity based on steady-state motion visual evoked potentials using concentric-ring paradigm

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 2/2019

Can VEP-based acuity estimates in one eye be improved by applying knowledge from the other eye?

Full-field electroretinography, visual acuity and visual fields in Usher syndrome: a multicentre European study

Visual evoked and event-related brain potentials in HIV-infected adults: a longitudinal study over 2.5 years

Acuity VEP: improved with machine learning

Electrophysiological and pupillometric measures of inner retina function in nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy

Central and peripheral steady-state visual evoked potentials in children with optic pathway gliomas