Acuity profile perimetry: description of technique and preliminary clinical trials.

Acuity profile perimetry is a technique that allows visual acuity properties to be rapidly measured at any location in the visual field. This report describes our initial clinical trials with acuity profile perimetry, as performed in combination with standard static perimetry. Preliminary results from patients with cataracts, amblyopia, and central serous retinopathy show, in general, a much greater deficit for acuity profiles than for static sensitivity profiles. In contrast, patients with optic neuritis or other optic neuropathies display approximately equivalent losses for static and acuity profiles. The recovery process in optic neuritis is also about equal for the two functions. Our initial findings suggest that acuity profile perimetry may be a valuable differential diagnostic test, particularly for cases in which optic nerve disease is suspected.