Bagolini lenses vs the Polarized Four-Dot test.

The applicability and accuracy of two minimally dissociative sensory tests were compared in a pediatric ophthalmology clinic. The Polarized Four-Dot (P4D) test and Bagolini striated lenses (BAG) were used to evaluate 133 patients who were at least 3 years old. The outcomes measured were test failure rate and mean age at the test failures. Test sensitivity and specificity were determined using the distance vectograph as a reference. The failure rate for the BAG test, 14%, was significantly higher than that for the P4D test, 5% (P = .0005). The mean age of the test failures also was higher for the BAG test (4.7 vs 3.8 years). Both sensitivity and specificity for the detection of central suppression were greater using the P4D test. The P4D test is simple to use, widely applicable, and accurate in the detection of peripheral fusion, central fusion, or suppression, without the confounding colors of the Worth Four-Dot test. We recommended the P4D test as the test of choice for routine evaluation of binocular fusion status.