Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test (SPARCS)

Wills Eye

Status: Completed

Conditions: Glaucoma

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test; Diagnostic Test: Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Industry

Identifiers

NCT01300949

10-998

Details and patient eligibility

About

The Spaeth-Richman Contrast Sensitivity (SPARCS) test is a new method of assessing contrast sensitivity. The test, another way to measure vision, is performed on any standard computer with internet access. Patients will be tested with SPARCS and with the standard Pelli-Robson contrast test.

Full description

Contrast Sensitivity is another way to test vision. It uses black on a white background and minimally decreases the black (grey) until it blends with the white. The least amount of contrast (faint grey) seen translates into amount of vision. This new method of determining contrast sensitivity uses black and white vertical bars and does not require recognizing letters in the alphabet. It tests various areas of the visual field and central vision. The test takes approximately 3 minutes per eye.

Pelli-Robson is a commonly used contrast sensitivity test that uses black letters on a white background. The letter size stays the same, only the amount of black changes, becoming greyer, making letters hard to see. The test takes approximately 1 minute per eye.

Hypothesis: A method of determining contrast sensitivity that does not require letter recognition (as does the Pelli-Robson test) eliminates the barriers of literacy and pattern recognition, to permit a more valid determination of contrast sensitivity.

Patients will perform SPARCS and Pelli-Robson twice; once each with two separate observers for reproducibility and intra-observer reliability. The order of testing will be randomized to SPARCS, Pelli, Pelli, SPARCS or Pelli, SPARCS, SPARCS, Pelli.

Enrollment: 314 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 yrs of age and older

• able to provide fully informed consent

  70 controls (patients with no ocular disease affecting visual acuity or visual function), 10 from each decade of life: 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 60-70, 70-80, 80+.

  105 patients with ocular hypertension or any type of glaucoma (15 subjects per age decade). Glaucoma patients will not have macular degeneration or visual acuity affected by any function other than glaucoma.

  40 patients with macular degeneration: 10 with visual acuity 20/40 or better, 10 with visual acuity between 20/40 and 20/60, 10between 20/100 and 20/400, and 10 with 20/400 or worse.

  40 patients with cataracts: 10 with lens opacity 1+nuclear sclerosis, 10 with 2 + nuclear sclerosis, 10 with 3 + nuclear sclerosis, 10 with 4 + nuclear sclerosis.

  60 patients with refractive error: 10 with myopia -5 diopters or greater, 10 with myopia between -5 and -2.5, 10 with myopia between -2.5 and -0.5, 10 with myopia between -0.5 and 0.5, 10 with myopia between 0.5 and 2.5, and 10 with myopia > 2.5.

Exclusion criteria

• any other diseases affecting visual acuity

Trial design

Primary purpose: Diagnostic

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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314 participants in 3 patient groups

Glaucoma

Active Comparator group

Description:

154 glaucoma, ocular hypertension and glaucoma suspect patients will have contrast sensitivity measured by Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test (SPARCS) and Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart.

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart

Diagnostic Test: Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test

Controls

Active Comparator group

Description:

125 patients with no eye diseases will have contrast sensitivity measured by Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test (SPARCS) and Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart. This included patients with refractive errors (needing glasses) and nuclear sclerosis (cataract).

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart

Diagnostic Test: Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)

Active Comparator group

Description:

35 retina patients with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) will have contrast sensitivity measured by Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test (SPARCS) and Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart.

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart

Diagnostic Test: Spaeth/Richman Contrast Sensitivity Test