Arq. Bras. Oftalmol. 2021;84 (5 )
:442-448
| DOI: 10.5935/0004-2749.20210069
Abstract
Objetivo: Verificar se pacientes com dislexia do desenvolvimento (DD) apresentam déficits coerentes com uma disfunção magnocelular visual.
Métodos: Participantes com diagnóstico confirmado de dislexia do desenvolvimento (n=62; faixa etária=8 a 25 anos; Média da idade=13.8 anos, desvio padrão=3.9; 77% homens) foram comparados a um grupo controle com desenvolvimento típico, pareado por idade, sexo, dominância ocular, acuidade visual e compreensão de texto. A perimetria Frequency-Doubling Technology avaliou o limiar de sensibilidade ao contraste do campo visual periférico. O rastreador ocular Visagraph-III registrou os movimentos dos olhos durante leitura de texto.
Resultados: O grupo com dislexia do desenvolvimento apresentou piores limiares de sensibilidade no Frequency-Doubling Technology, com tamanho de efeito forte, do que o grupo controle. O grupo com dislexia do desenvolvimento apresentou mais olhos classificados com déficits na sensibilidade à ilusão de frequência duplicada do que o grupo controle. O grupo com dislexia do desenvolvimento apresentou pior habilidade motora ocular e no desempenho de leitura, revelado pela diferença entre os grupos em relação às fixações oculares, regressões, alcance de reconhecimento, taxa de leitura e eficiência relativa. Foi encontrada correlação significativa entre a sensibilidade ao contraste e as habilidades motoras oculares. Os participantes com boa eficiência relativa apresentaram uma sensibilidade ao contraste significativamente melhor do que os participantes com baixa eficiência relativa.
Conclusões: O grupo com dislexia do desenvolvimento apresentou desempenho inferior nas variáveis visuais relacionadas à função visual magnocelular (i.e., perimetria de frequência duplicada e habilidades motoras oculares), quando comparado ao grupo controle pareado. Os profissionais precisam estar cientes da importância de investigar a visão dos pacientes com dislexia do desenvolvimento além da acuidade visual e incluir nos seus procedimentos diagnósticos instrumentos para avaliar o processamento temporal, com limiar de sensibilidade ao contraste.
Keywords: Dislexia; Leitura; Percepção visual; Transtornos da visão; Músculos oculomotores; Movimentos oculares
Arq. Bras. Oftalmol. 2025;88 (1 )
:1-4
| DOI: 10.5935/0004-2749.2022-0375
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess grating visual acuity and functional vision in children with congenital Zika syndrome.
METHODS: Initial and final grating visual acuity was measured using Teller acuity cards. Cerebral vision impairment standardized tests were used to assess functional vision. Patients were referred to the early visual intervention program for visually disabled children. Neuroimaging was performed.
RESULTS: In this study, 10 children were included with an age range of 1–37 months. Eight patients presented with macular atrophic scars. Neuroimaging revealed microcephaly and cerebral abnormalities in all patients. Low vision and cerebral vision impairment characteristics were observed in all children. The final grating visual acuity in this group varied from 3.00 to 0.81 logMAR.
CONCLUSIONS: The grating visual acuity test revealed low vision in all children with congenital Zika syndrome. Functional vision evaluation revealed cerebral vision impairment characteristics in all patients, who were referred to the early visual intervention program. Visual acuity improved in six children.
Keywords: Zika virus infection/congenital; Low vision; Vision disorders; Atrophy, Microcephaly; Visual acuity; Child
Arq. Bras. Oftalmol. 2025;88 (6 )
:1-9
| DOI: 10.5935/0004-2749.2024-0411
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study evaluated macular thickness using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in healthy participants from a population-based eye survey.
METHODS: The Brazilian Amazon Region Eye Survey was a population-based study assessing the prevalence and causes of visual impairment, blindness, and ocular diseases in adults aged ≥45 years from urban and rural areas of Parintins. A subgroup was selected based on inclusion criteria for both eyes: best-corrected visual acuity ≥20/32, normal eye examination results, and no prior ocular surgery. Scans were performed using the iVue optical coherence tomography device. Measurements were taken from the nine subfields defined by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study, examining the full retina as well as the inner and outer retinal layers. Associations of retinal thickness with age and sex were also analyzed. Statistical significance was set at p≤0.05.
RESULTS: In total, 70 healthy participants (25 males), aged 45–65 years (mean=52 ± 5), were included. Mean central foveal thickness was 248.71 ± 18.73 μm. A significant age-related reduction in macular thickness was observed, particularly in the inner superior parafovea (p=0.036), nasal perifovea (p=0.001), superior perifovea (p=0.028), outer layer of inferior parafovea (p=0.049), and the inferior perifovea of the full retina (p=0.029). Males showed significantly greater thickness in the outer layer, especially in the outer parafovea (p=0.004) and perifovea (p<0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: This study established normative macular thickness values for healthy older adults in the Brazilian Amazon region using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Age and sex were found to significantly influence macular thickness and should be considered when interpreting measurements. These data will support future studies of retinal diseases in this population.
Keywords: Retinal diseases/diagnosis; Macula lutea/pathology; Macular degeneration/diagnosis; Diabetic retinopathy/diagnosis; Vision, low; Vision tests; Tomography, optical coherence/methods; Young adult; Cross-sectional studies; Brazil/epidemiology
Arq. Bras. Oftalmol. 2025;88 (4 )
:1-12
| DOI: 10.5935/0004-2749.2023-0263
Abstract
PURPOSE: Amblyopia is a cortical neurological disorder caused by abnormal visual experiences during the critical period for visual development. Recent works have shown that, in addition to the well-known visual alterations, such as changes in visual acuity, several perceptual aspects of vision are affected. This study aims to analyze and compare the effects of different types of amblyopia on visual color processing and determine whether these effects are correlated with visual acuity.
METHODS: Our study sample comprised 42 amblyopic individuals, aged 7-40 years, (strabismus, n=16; anisometropia, n=18; and mixed-cause, n=8) and 33 age-matched controls. Color vision was tested by measuring the chromaticity threshold of each patient on the protan, deutan, and tritan axes using version 02 of the Cambridge Color Test. Spatial stimulation cues were eliminated using spatial noise and luminance.
RESULTS: The color discrimination thresholds on the protan, deutan, and tritan axes were similar between control participants and amblyopic patients (p>0.05). There was no correlation between VA values and color thresholds (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION: Patients with amblyopia have normal color vision in contexts that include luminance and spatial noise. Our results may be indicative of independent neural pathways for spatial and chromatic visual processing.
Keywords: Amblyopia; Anisometropia; Color vision; Strabismus; Vision disorders; Visual acuity
Arq. Bras. Oftalmol. 2026;89 (4 )
:1-6
| DOI: 10.5935/0004-2749.2025-0327
Abstract
Amblyopia is a leading, yet largely preventable, cause of visual impairment and is now recognized as a binocular neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by interocular suppression and widespread functional deficits. This narrative review synthesizes contemporary evidence on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of amblyopia, with a focus on clinically applicable guidance. Conventional treatments—including optimal refractive correction, occlusion therapy, and pharmacologic penalization with atropine—remain highly effective when appropriately prescribed, titrated, and monitored for adherence, even among selected older children. Emerging binocular approaches, such as dichoptic digital therapies, perceptual learning, and short-term monocular deprivation, aim to restore binocular balance. Although these strategies may yield improvements in stereopsis and contrast sensitivity, their effects are generally modest and task-specific. Overall, current evidence supports the integration of traditional and novel approaches into etiology-specific, measurement-driven care pathways. Future research should prioritize functional outcomes, long-term durability, and real-world effectiveness.
Keywords: Amblyopia/diagnosis; Amblyopia/physiopathology; Amblyopia/epidemiology; Binocular vision; Vision disorders; Review
Arq. Bras. Oftalmol. 2024;87 (3 )
:1-6
| DOI: 10.5935/0004-2749.2022-0366
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the saccadic movements of patients with visual field loss due to primary open-angle glaucoma.
METHODS: Thirteen patients with good visual acuity (0.2 logMAR or better) (seven patients with primary open-angle glaucoma 65 ± 13 years) and six controls (51 ± 6 years) yielded a comprehensive ophthalmological examination, including Humphrey Visual Field tests (SITA-Standard 24-2), and performed a monocular, exploratory digital visual search task that quantifies the duration for finding the number “4” on a random array of digits distributed on the screen. After individual adjustments of the angle and distance positioning, the screen was spatially matched with the 24-2 visual field, and divided into five areas for analysis. During the task, saccades were simultaneously recorded in the same eye with a video-based eye tracker.
RESULTS: The patients with primary open-angle glaucoma showed a significantly higher number of saccades/screen (median ± interquartile range, 59.00 ± 29.00 vs. 32.50 ± 19.75 saccades (p=0.027) and visual search time per screen (38.50 ± 60.14 vs. 23.75 ± 8.90 seconds (p=0.035) than the controls did. Although the univariate analysis indicated a significant correlation with visual field mean deviation (coefficient=26.19 (p=0.02), only the visual search time/screen was significantly associated with the number of saccades/screen in the multivariate regression model (coefficient=0.55 (p<0.001). Overall, no significant correlation was observed between the sectorial number of saccades and the sensitivity of the five visual field areas.
CONCLUSIONS: The patients with primary open-angle glaucoma show impaired search performance and showed a higher number of saccades needed to find stimuli when performing the exploratory visual task.
Keywords: Glaucoma, open angle; Saccades; Eye movements; Visual fields; Vision disorders