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Tanriverdi D, Cornelissen FW. Rapid assessment of peripheral visual crowding. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1332701. [PMID: 38629049 PMCID: PMC11019380 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1332701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual crowding, the phenomenon in which the ability to distinguish objects is hindered in cluttered environments, has critical implications for various ophthalmic and neurological disorders. Traditional methods for assessing crowding involve time-consuming and attention-demanding psychophysical tasks, making routine examination challenging. This study sought to compare trial-based Alternative Forced-Choice (AFC) paradigms using either manual or eye movement responses and a continuous serial search paradigm employing eye movement responses to evaluate their efficiency in rapidly assessing peripheral crowding. In all paradigms, we manipulated the orientation of a central Gabor patch, which could be presented alone or surrounded by six Gabor patches. We measured participants' target orientation discrimination thresholds using adaptive psychophysics to assess crowding magnitude. Depending on the paradigm, participants either made saccadic eye movements to the target location or responded manually by pressing a key or moving a mouse. We compared these paradigms in terms of crowding magnitude, assessment time, and paradigm demand. Our results indicate that employing eye movement-based paradigms for assessing peripheral visual crowding yields results faster compared to paradigms that necessitate manual responses. Furthermore, when considering similar levels of confidence in the threshold measurements, both a novel serial search paradigm and an eye movement-based 6AFC paradigm proved to be the most efficient in assessing crowding magnitude. Additionally, crowding estimates obtained through either the continuous serial search or the 6AFC paradigms were consistently higher than those obtained using the 2AFC paradigms. Lastly, participants did not report a clear difference between paradigms in terms of their perceived demand. In conclusion, both the continuous serial search and the 6AFC eye movement response paradigms enable a fast assessment of visual crowding. These approaches may potentially facilitate future routine crowding assessment. However, the usability of these paradigms in specific patient populations and specific purposes should be assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilce Tanriverdi
- Laboratory for Experimental Ophthalmology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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Blanckaert E, Rouland JF, Davost T, Warniez A, Boucart M. Higher susceptibility to central crowding in glaucoma. Clin Exp Optom 2024; 107:227-233. [PMID: 36183782 DOI: 10.1080/08164622.2022.2124848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/07/2022] Open
Abstract
CLINICAL RELEVANCE Crowding limits many daily life activities, such as reading and the visual search for objects in cluttered environments. Excessive sensitivity to crowding, especially in central vision, may amplify the difficulties of patients with ocular pathologies. It is thus important to investigate what limits visual activities and how to improve it. BACKGROUND Numerous studies have reported reduced contrast sensitivity in central vision in patients with glaucoma. However, deficits have also been observed for letter recognition at high contrast, suggesting that contrast alone cannot completely account for impaired central perception. METHOD Seventeen patients and fifteen age-matched controls were randomly presented with letters in central or parafoveal vision at 5° eccentricity for 200 ms. They were asked to decide whether the central T was upright or inverted. The T was either presented in isolation (uncrowded) or flanked by two Hs (crowded) at various spacings. Contrast was manipulated: 60% and 5%. RESULTS Compared to controls, patients exhibited a significant effect of crowding in central vision, with higher accuracy for the isolated T than for HTH only at low contrast. In parafoveal vision, an effect of crowding was also observed only in patients. The spacing to escape crowding varied as a function of contrast. Larger spacing was required at low contrast than at high contrast. Susceptibility to crowding was related to central visual field defect for central presentations and to contrast sensitivity for parafoveal presentations, only at low contrast. Controls were at ceiling level both for central and parafoveal presentations. CONCLUSION Crowding limits visual perception, impeding reading and object recognition in cluttered environments. Visual field defects and lower contrast sensitivity in glaucoma can increase susceptibility to central and parafoveal crowding, the deleterious effect of which can be improved by manipulating contrast and spacing between elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edouard Blanckaert
- Department of Ophthalmology, Lille University Hospital, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
| | - Jean François Rouland
- Department of Ophthalmology, Lille University Hospital, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
- Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Theophile Davost
- Department of Ophthalmology, Lille University Hospital, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
| | - Aude Warniez
- Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Muriel Boucart
- Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
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Davost T, Rouland JF, Blanckaert E, Warniez A, Boucart M. Spatial attention and central crowding in primary open angle glaucoma. Clin Exp Optom 2024; 107:219-226. [PMID: 36862980 DOI: 10.1080/08164622.2023.2182185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
CLINICAL RELEVANCE Measuring the impact of spatial attention on signal detection in damaged parts of the visual field can be a useful tool for eye care practitioners. BACKGROUND Studies on letter perception have shown that glaucoma exacerbates difficulties to detect a target within flankers (crowding) in parafoveal vision. A target can be missed because it is not seen or because attention was not focused at that location. This prospective study evaluates the contribution of spatial pre-cueing on target detection. METHOD Fifteen patients and 15 age-matched controls were presented with letters displayed for 200 ms. Participants were asked to identify the orientation of the target letter T in two conditions: an isolated letter (uncrowded condition) and a letter with two flankers (crowded condition). The spacing between target and flankers was manipulated. The stimuli were randomly displayed at the fovea and at the parafovea at 5° left or right of fixation. A spatial cue preceded the stimuli in 50% of the trials. When present, the cue always signalled the correct location of the target. RESULTS Pre-cueing the spatial location of the target significantly improved performance for both foveal and parafoveal presentations in patients but not in controls who were at ceiling level. Unlike controls, patients exhibited an effect of crowding at the fovea with a higher accuracy for the isolated target than for the target flanked by two letters with no spacing between the elements. CONCLUSION Higher susceptibility to central crowding supports data showing abnormal foveal vision in glaucoma. Exogenous orienting of attention facilitates perception in parts of the visual field with reduced sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theophile Davost
- Department of Ophthalmology, Lille University Hospital, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
| | - Jean François Rouland
- Department of Ophthalmology, Lille University Hospital, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
- Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Edouard Blanckaert
- Department of Ophthalmology, Lille University Hospital, Hôpital Huriez, Lille, France
| | - Aude Warniez
- Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Muriel Boucart
- Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
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Okrent Smolar AL, Gagrani M, Ghate D. Peripheral visual field loss and activities of daily living. Curr Opin Neurol 2023; 36:19-25. [PMID: 36409221 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000001125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Peripheral visual field (VF) loss affects 13% of the population over 65. Its effect on activities of daily living and higher order visual processing is as important as it is inadequately understood. The purpose of this review is to summarize available literature on the impact of peripheral vision loss on driving, reading, face recognition, scene recognition and scene navigation. RECENT FINDINGS In this review, glaucoma and retrochiasmal cortical damage are utilized as examples of peripheral field loss which typically spare central vision and have patterns respecting the horizontal and vertical meridians, respectively. In both glaucoma and retrochiasmal damage, peripheral field loss causes driving difficulty - especially with lane maintenance - leading to driving cessation, loss of independence, and depression. Likewise, peripheral field loss can lead to slower reading speeds and decreased enjoyment from reading, and anxiety. In glaucoma and retrochiasmal field loss, face processing is impaired which impacts social functioning. Finally, scene recognition and navigation are also adversely affected, impacting wayfinding and hazard detection leading to decreased independence as well as more frequent injury. SUMMARY Peripheral VF loss is an under-recognized cause of patient distress and disability. All peripheral field loss is not the same, differential patterns of loss affect parameters of activities of daily living (ADL) and visual processing in particular ways. Future research should aim to further characterize patterns of deranged ADL and visual processing, their correlation with types of field loss, and associated mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meghal Gagrani
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Deepta Ghate
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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Shamsi F, Liu R, Kwon M. Foveal crowding appears to be robust to normal aging and glaucoma unlike parafoveal and peripheral crowding. J Vis 2022; 22:10. [PMID: 35848904 PMCID: PMC9308014 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.8.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual crowding is the inability to recognize a target object in clutter. Previous studies have shown an increase in crowding in both parafoveal and peripheral vision in normal aging and glaucoma. Here, we ask whether there is any increase in foveal crowding in both normal aging and glaucomatous vision. Twenty-four patients with glaucoma and 24 age-matched normally sighted controls (mean age = 65 ± 7 vs. 60 ± 8 years old) participated in this study. For each subject, we measured the extent of foveal crowding using Pelli's foveal crowding paradigm (2016). We found that the average crowding zone was 0.061 degrees for glaucoma and 0.056 degrees for age-matched normal vision, respectively. These values fall into the range of foveal crowding zones (0.0125 degrees to 0.1 degrees) observed in young normal vision. We, however, did not find any evidence supporting increased foveal crowding in glaucoma (p = 0.375), at least in the early to moderate stages of glaucoma. In the light of previous studies on foveal crowding in normal young vision, we did not find any evidence supporting age-related changes in foveal crowding. Even if there is any, the effect appears to be rather inconsequential. Taken together, our findings suggest unlike parafoveal or peripheral crowding (2 degrees, 4 degrees, 8 degrees, and 10 degrees eccentricities), foveal crowding (<0.25 degrees eccentricity) appears to be less vulnerable to normal aging or moderate glaucomatous damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foroogh Shamsi
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.,
| | - Rong Liu
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.,Department of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.,
| | - MiYoung Kwon
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.,
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Mathieu R, Hereth E, Lenoble Q, Rouland JF, McKendrick AM, Boucart M. Spatial frequency bands used by patients with glaucoma to recognize facial expressions. VISUAL COGNITION 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2022.2044948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Mathieu
- Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, UMR-S 1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Esther Hereth
- Institute of glaucoma, Saint Joseph Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Quentin Lenoble
- Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, UMR-S 1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Jean-François Rouland
- Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, UMR-S 1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Allison M. McKendrick
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Muriel Boucart
- Inserm, CNRS, CHU Lille, UMR-S 1172 - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, University of Lille, Lille, France
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Shamsi F, Liu R, Kwon M. Binocularly Asymmetric Crowding in Glaucoma and a Lack of Binocular Summation in Crowding. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2022; 63:36. [PMID: 35084432 PMCID: PMC8802025 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.63.1.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Glaucoma is associated with progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells. Here we investigated the impact of glaucomatous damage on monocular and binocular crowding in parafoveal vision. We also examined the binocular summation of crowding to see if crowding is alleviated under binocular viewing. Methods The study design included 40 individuals with glaucoma and 24 age-similar normal cohorts. For each subject, the magnitude of crowding was determined by the extent of crowding zone. Crowding zone measurements were made binocularly in parafoveal vision (i.e., at 2° and 4° retinal eccentricities) visual field. For a subgroup of glaucoma subjects (n = 17), crowding zone was also measured monocularly for each eye. Results Our results showed that, compared with normal cohorts, individuals with glaucoma exhibited significantly larger crowding—enlargement of crowding zone (an increase by 21%; P < 0.01). Moreover, we also observed a lack of binocular summation (i.e., a binocular ratio of 1): binocular crowding was determined by the better eye. Hence, our results did not provide evidence supporting binocular summation of crowding in glaucomatous vision. Conclusions Our findings show that crowding is exacerbated in parafoveal vision in glaucoma and binocularly asymmetric glaucoma seems to induce binocularly asymmetric crowding. Furthermore, the lack of binocular summation for crowding observed in glaucomatous vision combined with the lack of binocular summation reported in a previous study on normal healthy vision support the view that crowding may start in the early stages of visual processing, at least before the process of binocular integration takes place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foroogh Shamsi
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Rong Liu
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States.,Department of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - MiYoung Kwon
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
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