PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - C. Owsley
AU  - M. E. Sloane
TI  - Contrast sensitivity, acuity, and the perception of 'real-world' targets.
AID  - 10.1136/bjo.71.10.791
DP  - 1987 Oct 01
TA  - British Journal of Ophthalmology
PG  - 791--796
VI  - 71
IP  - 10
4099  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/71/10/791.short
4100  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/71/10/791.full
SO  - Br J Ophthalmol1987 Oct 01; 71
AB  - A major assumption underlying the use of contrast sensitivity testing is that it predicts whether a patient has difficulty seeing objects encountered in everyday life. However, there has been no large-scale attempt to examine whether this putative relationship actually exists. We have examined this assumption using a clinic based sample of adults aged 20-77 years. Contrast thresholds were measured for both: (1) gratings of 0.5-22.8 cycles/degree; and (2) real-world targets (faces, road signs, objects). Multiple regression techniques indicated that the best predictors of thresholds for real-world targets were age and middle to low spatial frequencies. Models incorporating these variables accounted for 25-40% of the variance. Although acuity significantly correlated with thresholds for real-world targets, the inclusion of acuity as a predictor variable did not improve the model. These data provide direct evidence that spatial contrast sensitivity can effectively predict how well patients see targets typical of everyday life.