Pulfrich revisited

doi:10.1016/S0039-6257(97)00014-3

Survey of Ophthalmology

Volume 41, Issue 6, May–June 1997, Pages 493-499

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-6257(97)00014-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

The Pulfrich phenomenon is a stereo-illusion resulting from latency disparities in the visual pathways. It is common after optic neuritis, but is also to be found with other conditions. The symptoms are often difficult for the patient to explain and for the physician to understand. Symptoms may be sufficiently disturbing to significantly interfere with a patient's life (e.g., prevention of driving). Treatment with the use of monocular tints is simple and effective.

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Cited by (31)

Identification and treatment of the visual processing asymmetry in MS patients with optic neuritis: The Pulfrich phenomenon
2018, Journal of the Neurological Sciences
Citation Excerpt :
The PF can result in dangerous perceptual distortions. Such illusions of depth perception may impair driving, operating machinery or performing tasks that require 3-D perception of our visual environment [1,2,14,16,17,33]. For instance, in an MS patient with a left eye optic neuritis, there may be confusion about the location of a car driving in an adjacent lane of traffic [2,34] (Fig. 3).
The Pulfrich phenomenon (PF) is the illusory perception that an object moving linearly along a 2-D plane appears to instead follow an elliptical 3-D trajectory, a consequence of inter-eye asymmetry in the timing of visual object identification in the visual cortex; with optic neuritis as a common etiology.
We have designed an objective method to identify the presence and magnitude of the PF, in conjunction with a cooresponding strategy by which to abolish the effect; with monocular application of neutral density filters to the less affected fellow eye, in patients with MS and a history of optic neuropathy (e.g. related to acute optic neuritis or subclinical optic neuropathy).
Twenty-three MS patients with a history of acute unilateral or bilateral optic neuritis, and ten healthy control subjects (HC) were recruited to participate in a pilot study to assess our strategy. Subjects were asked to indicate whether a linearly moving pendulum ball followed a linear 2-D path versus an illusory 3-D elliptical object-motion trajectory, by reporting the ball's approximation to one of nine horizontally-oriented colored wires that were positioned parallel to one another and horizontal to the linear pendulum path. Perceived motion of the bob that moved along wires behind or in front (along the ‘Z' plane) of the middle reference wire indicated an illusory elliptical trajectory of ball motion consistent with the PF.
When the neutral density filter titration was applied to the fellow eye the severity of the PF decreased, eventually being fully abolished in all but one patient. The magnitude of neutral density filtering required correlated to the severity of the patient's initial PF magnitude (p < 0.001).
We ascertained the magnitude of the visual illusion associated with the PF, and the corresponding magnitude of neutral density filtering necessary to abolish it.
Visual Loss: Optic Neuropathies
2018, Liu, Volpe, and Galetta's Neuro-Ophthalmology: Diagnosis and Management
The diagnosis of optic neuropathy is usually considered under two circumstances: (1) when visual loss is associated with an anomalous, swollen, or pale optic disc or (2) when the fundus examination is normal but deficits in acuity, color, and visual field are accompanied by an afferent pupillary defect. In each of these situations the examiner must rely upon historical information, examination findings, and diagnostic testing first to confirm the presence of optic nerve dysfunction, then to determine its etiology.
An understanding of optic nerve anatomy is important when approaching patients with optic nerve dysfunction, and this chapter reviews this topic. Typical clinical features of optic neuropathies are then detailed. The subsequent discussion suggests an approach to patients with an optic neuropathy and outlines a strategy used to distinguish the various optic neuropathies. The features (presentation, examination, and management) of the different causes of optic nerve dysfunction are then addressed.
Clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis: An overview
2016, Multiple Sclerosis: A Mechanistic View
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a presumably immune-mediated, demyelinating, and neurodegenerative disease of the human central nervous system, which usually affects young adults and causes significant irreversible neurological disability. Up to 85% of newly diagnosed MS patients have relapsing–remitting (RR) disease which is characterized by periods of development of new or worsening of older neurological deficits followed by complete or partial improvement. In most cases, MS manifests between the ages of 20 and 40, with a peak age of 29 and females being predominantly affected, at least in the most common form of MS. MS lesions develop in various areas of the brain and spinal cord which in turn causes development of a wide array of clinical manifestations. In many cases the neurologic manifestations of MS present episodically and then advance to a progressive phase with steady accumulation of neurologic deficits. In many patients the severity and complexity of clinical manifestations of MS are severe and devastating and significantly compromise the patient's quality of life. The present chapter presents an overview of MS clinical features.
Reduced-aperture monovision for presbyopia and the Pulfrich effect
2012, Journal of Optometry
Citation Excerpt :
In practical terms these motion-related spatial distortions mean that patients may experience difficulties in moving about their environment at home, at work or when driving.22–24,29 Clinical symptoms in both the induced and spontaneous Pulfrich effect can usually be eliminated or much reduced by placing an appropriate ND filter in front of the eye with the shorter visual latency, so that its latency is increased to match that of the other eye.23,24,26,30 In the experiments that follow, four types of afocal, hand-painted, opaque soft contact lenses (74% water content, Cantor & Nissel Ltd., Brackley, UK) were used.
Monocular use of reduced-aperture optics in the form of a corneal inlay or contact lens may improve near vision of presbyopes by increasing their depth-of-focus (DOF). However, the associated induced interocular differences in retinal illuminance may cause distortion in spatial perception due to the Pulfrich effect.
Three young subjects were used to explore the Pulfrich effect during reduced-aperture monovision using afocal contact lenses (in the non-dominant eye) which were either opaque with a central clear aperture of 1.5, 2.5 or 3.5 mm diameter, or had an annular opaque stop of inner and outer diameters 1.5 and 4.0 mm, respectively. The two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) task of the subject was to state whether a 2° circular spot appeared in front or behind the plane of a central cross when moved left-to-right or right-to-left. The retinal illuminance of the dominant eye was varied using neutral density (ND) filters to establish the ND value which eliminated the Pulfrich effect for each lens.
The Pulfrich effect was observed with all the lenses. The ND value required to null the effect decreased as the diameter of the aperture of the lenses increased. A reasonably good agreement was found between observed ND values for the different lenses and those predicted from the relative areas of the effective pupils of the two eyes. Minor discrepancies were attributed to decentration of the contact lenses with respect to the natural pupils.
Reduced-aperture monovision generates marked Pulfrich-type distortions in spatial perception under conditions where the visual world is changing dynamically as a result of movement.
El uso monocular de lentes de apertura reducida en forma de implante o lentes de contacto, pueden mejorar la visión de los pacientes présbitas gracias al incremento de su profundidad de enfoque. Sin embargo, las diferencias interoculares a nivel de iluminancia retiniana pueden originar una distorsión de la percepción espacial debido al efecto Pulfrich.
Se utilizó a tres pacientes jóvenes para explorar el efecto Pulfrich durante la inducción de monovisión de apertura reducida utilizando lentes de contacto afocales (en el ojo no dominante), que eran, bien opacas con una apertura central de 1,5, 2,5 ó 3,5 mm de diámetro, o tenían un tope opaco anular con diámetros interiores y exteriores de 1,5 y 4,0 mm, respectivamente. La tarea mediante 2AFC (dos alternativas de elección forzada) para el sujeto fue la de establecer si aparecía una mancha circular de 2 grados en el frente o posterior al plano de una cruz central cuando se movía de izquierda a derecha, o de derecha a izquierda. Se varió la iluminancia retiniana del ojo dominante utilizando filtros DN (densidad neutra) para establecer el valor DN que eliminaba el efecto Pulfrich para cada lente.
Se observó el efecto Pulfrich con todas las lentes. El valor DN necesario para anular el efecto se reducía a medida que se incrementaba la apertura de las lentes. Se halló una concordancia razonable entre los valores DN observados para las diferentes lentes y aquellos predichos a partir de las áreas relativas de pupila efectiva de los dos ojos. Las pequeñas discrepancias se atribuyeron a descentramientos de las lentes de contacto con respecto a las pupilas naturales.
La monovisión de apertura reducida genera unas marcadas distorsiones de tipo Pulfrich en la percepción espacial, en condiciones en las que el mundo visual se modifica dinámicamente como resultado del movimiento.
Chapter 6 Optic Neuritis
2008, Blue Books of Neurology
This chapter discusses the most common cause of optic neuritis disorder, a primary demyelinating disease in which optic neuritis may develop as the first manifestation or during the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). The clinical parameters that predict a good or poor recovery are not clearly understood, but patients with a good outcome have been observed to recover more quickly in the early stages than those with a poor outcome. Blood tests are in general normal, and a modest spinal fluid pleocytosis is observed in about 50%. Oligoclonal bands are seen in 70%. MRI scans of the optic nerve show a high signal lesion on T2-weighted imaging, which enhances in almost every case on T1-weighted imaging. The nerve is swollen and subsequently reduces in size, implying that atrophy of the nerve occurs. There is a clear relationship between the presence and severity of residual visual symptoms and signs and the presence of optic nerve atrophy and retinal nerve fiber layer defects measured on optic coherence tomography. Sixteen percent to 42% of patients undergo a recurrence of optic neuritis either in the same or the other eye. This is associated with the subsequent development of MS in some but not all patients. The incidence of MS in the clinical studies of optic neuritis rises progressively from about 40% at 5 years to 60% at 40 years. The presence of four or more lesions on MRI scans of the brain is associated with a substantially increased risk of the subsequent development of MS, around 90% over 10 years.
Oscillopsia: Pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment
2007, Revue Neurologique
L’oscillopsie est la perception erronée d’une instabilité de la scène visuelle. Il s’agit d’un symptôme invalidant et source d’une dégradation de l’acuité visuelle, observé dans différentes circonstances pathologiques en neurologie. Le but de cet article de synthèse est d’une part, d’aider à reconnaître cliniquement les différents mécanismes physiopathologiques pouvant conduire à une oscillopsie, et d’autre part, d’approcher les différentes prises en charge thérapeutiques possibles. L’oscillopsie résulte le plus souvent d’une instabilité oculomotrice anormale, comme un nystagmus, un autre mouvement oculaire anormal ou une insuffisance du réflexe vestibulo-oculaire. Il est important de comprendre le mécanisme de ces anomalies oculomotrices, ce d’autant que les progrès de la recherche en pathologie oculomotrice ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives thérapeutiques notamment pharmacologiques. L’oscillopsie pourrait aussi théoriquement résulter d’un dysfonctionnement des systèmes d’intégration qui participent à l’élaboration de la constance spatiale lors des déplacements du regard. Les données cliniques dans ce deuxième cas sont méconnues. Cependant, il nous apparaît que certains symptômes visuo-perceptifs par lésion temporo-pariétale pourraient s’apparenter à des oscillopsies et résulter d’un déficit de l’élaboration de la constance spatiale.
Oscillopsia is an illusion of an unstable visual world. It is associated with poor visual acuity and is a disabling and stressful symptom reported by numerous patients with neurological disorders. The goal of this paper is to review the physiology of the systems subserving stable vision, the various pathophysiological mechanisms of oscillopsia and the different treatments available. Visual stability is conditioned by two factors. First, images of the seen world projected onto the retina have to be stable, a sine qua non condition for foveal discriminative function. Vestibulo-ocular and optokinetic reflexes act to stabilize the retinal images during head displacements; ocular fixation tends to limit the occurrence of micro ocular movements during gazing; a specific system also acts to maintain the eyes stable during eccentric gaze. Second, although we voluntary move our gaze (body, head and eye displacements), the visual world is normally perceived as stable, a phenomenon known as space constancy. Indeed, complex cognitive processes compensate for the two sensory consequences of gaze displacement, namely an oppositely-directed retinal drift and a change in the relationship between retinal and spatial (or subject-centered) coordinates of the visual scene. In patients, oscillopsia most often results from abnormal eye movements which cause excessive motion of images on the retina, such as nystagmus or saccadic intrusions or from an impaired vestibulo-ocular reflex. Understanding the exact mechanisms of impaired eye stability may lead to the different treatment options that have been documented in recent years. Oscillopsia could also result from an impairment of spatial constancy mechanisms that in normal condition compensate for gaze displacements, but clinical data in this case are scarce. However, we suggest that some visuo-perceptive deficits consecutive to temporo-parietal lesions resemble oscillopsia and could result from a deficit in elaborating spatial constancy.

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Pulfrich revisited

Abstract

Am J Ophthalmol

Vision Res

Vision Res

Lancet

Vision Res

Ophthalmic Physiol Opt

Am J Ophthalmol

Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg

Vision Res

Am J Ophthalmol

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh)

Am J Ophthalmol

The Pulfrich effect, simple reaction time and intensity discrimination

Am J Psychol

Some historical notes on Carl Pulfrich

Am J Optom Arch Am Acad Optom

Potentiels evoques visuels par damiers et phenomene de Pulfrich dans la phase resolutive des neuropathies optiques de la sclerose en plaque

Bull Mem Soc Fr Ophtalmol

Critical flieker frequency and the Pulfrich phenomenon

Am J Optom Physiol Opt

The physiology of the eye and of vision

Measurement of dynamic stereoacuity and global stereopsis

Aust J Ophthalmol

Uniocular Pulfrich phenomenon: an abnormality of visual perception

Br J Ophthalmol

A generalized visual latency explanation of the Pulfrich phenomenon

Percept Psychophys

Pseudostereoscopic illusion caused by interhemispheric temporal disparity

Arch Neurol

Individual differences and field dependence in the Pulfrich effect, a re-examination

Percept Mot Skills

A note on Pulfrich's phenomenon with a suggestion on its possible clinical importance

Br J Ophthalmol

A saccadic suppression explanation of the Pulfrich phenomenon

Percept Psychophys

Assessment of binocular vision utilizing the Pulfrich and venetian blind effects

Am J Optom Arch Am Acad Optom

The Pulfrich phenomenon and its alleviation with a neutral density filter

Br J Ophthalmol

The management of visual symptoms related to the Pulfrich effect

Optician

Short-term memory and the Pulfrich phenomenon

Nature

New obscrvation of the Pulfrich effect

J Opt Soc Am

Multiple regression analysis of diagnostic predictors in optic nerve disease

Can J Neurol Sci

Eye movement and the Pulfrich effect

Percept Psychophys