Frenette B, Mergler D, Bowler R
Centre d'Etude des Interactions Biologiques entre la Santé et l'Environnement (CINBIOSE), Université du Québec, Montréal, Canada.
Optom Vis Sci. 1991 Jul;68(7):556-60. doi: 10.1097/00006324-199107000-00009.
The measurement of contrast sensitivity at varying grating frequencies is used increasingly to study visual and neural disorders. It provides more information than conventional acuity measures. Refractive errors initially affect high spatial frequencies, whereas lower spatial frequencies are affected only when these errors are pronounced. Neurophysiological alterations are reflected by depressed sensitivity to coarse gratings. Visual dysfunction has been associated with workplace exposures to a wide range of organic solvents. In microelectronics assembly where large quantities of organic solvents are used in many aspects of the work processes, visual deficits have been observed. The objective of the present study was to compare contrast sensitivity among former microelectronics assembly workers, with normal far and near visual acuity, and a reference group from the same region, with similar acuity. No significant differences were observed between scores at the two ends of the contrast sensitivity curves; however, at the intermediate spatial frequencies, the former microelectronics workers' scores were significantly lower (Student's t-test; p less than 0.05). For the microelectronics workers, no relation was observed between age and contrast sensitivity at any spatial frequency, whereas for the reference group, contrast sensitivity scores were progressively lower with age at spatial frequencies greater than or equal to 6.0 cpd (r2 = 0.15 at 6 cpd to r2 = 0.45 at 18.0 cpd), suggesting that for the former there is some form of interference with the expected contrast sensitivity loss with age. Lower contrast sensitivity scores in intermediate spatial frequencies, observed among the former microelectronics workers, possibly reflect neural alterations, which may have resulted from exposure to neurotoxic substances. These findings suggest the need for further studies on visual functions in microelectronics workers.
在不同光栅频率下测量对比敏感度越来越多地用于研究视觉和神经疾病。它比传统的视力测量方法能提供更多信息。屈光不正最初影响高空间频率，而只有当这些误差明显时，低空间频率才会受到影响。神经生理改变表现为对粗光栅的敏感度降低。视觉功能障碍与工作场所接触多种有机溶剂有关。在微电子装配工作中，许多工序都大量使用有机溶剂，已观察到视觉缺陷。本研究的目的是比较远、近视力正常的前微电子装配工人与来自同一地区、视力相似的参照组之间的对比敏感度。在对比敏感度曲线的两端得分之间未观察到显著差异；然而，在中间空间频率处，前微电子工人的得分显著较低（Student t检验；p<0.05）。对于微电子工人，在任何空间频率下，年龄与对比敏感度之间均未观察到相关性，而对于参照组，在空间频率大于或等于6.0周/度时，对比敏感度得分随年龄增长而逐渐降低（在6周/度时r2 = 0.15，在18.0周/度时r2 = 0.45），这表明对于前者，存在某种形式的干扰，影响了预期的随年龄增长的对比敏感度损失。在前微电子工人中观察到的中间空间频率下较低的对比敏感度得分，可能反映了神经改变，这可能是由于接触神经毒性物质所致。这些发现表明需要对微电子工人的视觉功能进行进一步研究。
