Optometry Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Optometry, including details on myopia, optometric practice, therapy.

Short-term adaptation to vertical yoked prisms.

Huang MA, Ciuffreda KJ

SUNY State College of Optometry, Department of Vision Sciences, New York, New York 10010, USA.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate short-term adaptation to vertical yoked prisms in visually normal subjects as well as to develop normative data for future comparative purposes in patients with acquired brain injury. METHODS: A full-body enclosure containing a calibrated laser pointer was used to assess egocentric localization (i.e., one's perceived sense of "straight ahead") in total darkness. Fourteen visually normal subjects were tested in a counterbalanced manner under both experimental (20 pd base-down) and control (plano or zero power) test conditions with each test condition lasting 1 hour. A rating scale questionnaire was also administered to assess quantitatively subjective adaptation to the yoked prisms. RESULTS: Group mean egocentric localization showed approximately 50% adaptation during the 1-hour test period. Subjective adaptation results were similar. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that rapid perceptually driven, sensorimotor adaptation occurred as assessed both objectively and subjectively in response to vertical yoked prisms. These results are similar to those found in other experiments involving short-term adaptation to optical rearrangements.

Published 14 April 2006 in Optom Vis Sci, 83(4): 242-8.
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