Color matching and the Stiles-Crawford effect in observers with early age-related macular changes.

We studied the color-match-area effect and the Stiles-Crawford effect in 10 observers with age-related macular changes. Observers were graded on a scale of I to IV according to the Sarks classification, which correlates fundus appearance and visual acuity with the severity of postmortem histological changes in Bruch's membrane. Observers in group II showed subtle abnormalities of color matching; those in groups III and IV showed more-severe abnormalities. The Stiles-Crawford effect was abnormal in 9 of 10 eyes tested. Only one observer showed a Stiles-Crawford effect that had a well-defined peak near the center of the pupil and a near-normal bandpass. The results suggest that early age-related changes visible in the fundus can be revealed by psychophysical tests of photoreceptor architecture.