Asymmetries in the normal short-wavelength visual field: Implications for short-wavelength automated perimetry

PURPOSE: To quantify short-wavelength sensitivity in normal eyes by hemifield location, eccentricity, and age. METHODS: We measured achromatic and short-wavelength thresholds across visual fields covering a radius of 21 degrees of visual angle in 115 normal eyes in subjects aged 17 to 77 years and out to 30 degrees of eccentricity in an additional 57 eyes in subjects aged 22 to 80 years. RESULTS: Results indicated significantly greater sensitivity for the inferior visual field compared with the superior field (P=.001). The amount of asymmetry increased with eccentricity (P=.001) but not with age (P=.357), A temporo-nasal field asymmetry was noted at the most eccentric points of the 30-degree field (P=.001) but not at 21 degrees (P=.821). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to increasing our understanding of normal retinal function, these results have implications for basic research in comparison with results of studies using different retinal locations to assess short wavelength sensitivity and for clinical practice, where short-wavelength sensitivity is used to diagnose and manage a number of diseases, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related vision loss.