Feasibility of Pediatric Contrast Sensitivity Test

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This STTR project develops and assesses a new clinical test of visual contrast sensitivity that will work on infants and uninstructable children nd adults. This Stripe Card Contrast Sensitivity (SCCS) test would be useful in quantitatively describing the visual function of patients with a range of visual disorders, in planning and following treatments and interventions, in determining the depth of disability, and in assessing the benefits of new treatments. Its potentialmarket includes ophthalmologists, optometrists and other eye care specialists around the world. In the Phase-1 year, the clinical feasibility of the SCCS test will be assessed and its impact on clinical practice will be established. The clinical feasibility will be investigated by determining whether it can be used to test children over a larg range of visual performance, including normal newborn infants and school-aged patients with low vision and other handicaps. This will include assessment of whether the SCCS test is reliable enough for clinical use, and by determining, on older low-vision children, whether the contrast sensitivity results for the SCCS test agree with those obtained using the gold standard for contrast sensitivity testing, the Pelli- Robson chart. The impact of the test on clinical practice will be studied by examining the relationship between SCCS test results and results of a well-validated questionnaire on the impact of vision impairment on the patient's life. Also in the Phase-1year, the technical feasibility will be established of producing the SCCS test for commercial sale to ophthalmologists and optometrists who will use it in their clinics. Technical work will develop the specific methods to produce SCCS cards of precisely calibrated and accurate values of contrast, which are free of artifacts that could produce spurious results in clinical practice, which are durable enough to remain artifact-free over many years of use, and which are reasonably priced for the clinician. Plans for Phase-2 include performing age-norming and other measurements that will guide the clinician in interpreting the SCCS test results on an individual patient. Phase-3 commercialization plan includes scaling up and production of the SCCS test and its protocols making it available to eye care specialists around the world. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project develops and evaluates a new clinical test of visual contrast sensitivity that will work on infants, uninstructable children and handicapped adults. This Stripe Card Contrast Sensitivity (SCCS) test would be useful in quantitatively describing the visual function of patients with a range of visual disorders, in planning and following treatments and interventions, in determining the depth ofdisability, and in assessing the benefits of new treatments. If it is successful, this clinical test will be used by ophthalmologists, optometrists and other eye care specialists around the world.