Invitation to 'test our test' for finding hidden blindspots in your field of vision

Mr Carl Groenewald and I are consultant eye surgeons in England. In
our spare time, we have developed a visual field test for the
internet, which allows anyone to perform self-examination, using a
personal computer and at their own convenience, free of charge.



Our test may enable people to become aware of visual loss and perhaps
to check whether they are improving or getting worse. Some might
become detect new defects so that they can obtain medical advice or
take special precautions, for example if they drive a car.



Conditions causing visual field loss include glaucoma, retinal
detachment, macular degeneration, pituitary tumours, other brain
tumours, strokes, Sturge Weber syndrome, von Hippel Lindau disease,
and many others. Not all visual field defects indicate serious disease
and false positive and negative results can occur (with any test).



I would be grateful if anyone could participate in our research
project and help us evaluate our test. We urgently need persons with
visual field defects to visit our website and send us feedback so that
we can make improvements. Hopefully the test will be found
interesting, a little like a computer game. It is quite different from
conventional tests so please read the instructions, see the demo and
do a rehearsal before trying the test. If you could perform the
sensitive version of the test, this would be ideal.



Our website is at http://www.testvision.org/



Please remember to e-mail us the results with your email address if we
may reply to you (but note that we are only able to comment on your
result and not on any ocular or medical problem you might have).

It would be helpful if you let us know what you like or don't like
about our test.



Yours faithfully,



(Professor) Bertil Damato PhD FRCOphth

St Paul's Eye Unit

Royal Liverpool University Hospital

Prescot St

Liverpool L7 8XP



Tel: +44 (0)151 706 3973

Fax: +44 (0) 151 706 5436



E-mail:

 

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As of 3:53 PM PDT on 9-22-03, the above link works up to the "Basic -
Standard - Advanced" screen and then hangs up.

earle
*

 

The links didn't work on this. Is it working yet?

 

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The link is still broken at 9:04 PM PDT on 9-25-03.

earle
*

 

The basic test worked for right eye, but didn't let me proceed to left eye.
the advanced intermediate test worked ok. Not tried advanced yet ...
J

 

I took this test a few days ago and forgot to post the results... The
basic test worked on the first attempt for both eyes. The advanced
test did not let me proceed for the first eye I tested, saying it did
not detect my normal blind spot. I tried it twice with the same
result.

Lothar

 

Much the same for me - the site could do with some general explanation up front,
also there's no indication of what level one should hold one's head.

I didn't see any upfront contact email address to comment on failures of the
website links etc etc.

I'm also pretty sure I've got a blind spot in my right eye - I had an RD a feww
years ago, and had surgery, and yet this has not yet spotted it.

Yes, I'm going to give it another go. - got to go clean the pond first, getting
a bit leafy round here

and what on earth is this in the acknowledgements?
http://www.rawcutdesign.co.uk/

J

 

Bertil Damato

 

The advanced test does not work properly

the smiley appears.....I click on it....a black circle appears.....and
then is replaced by a smiley....*before* i click on it.

 

Thank you very much for your comments - we're learning a great deal
from your feedback.

The stimulus has a hidden target zone around it so that teh smiley
appears when you enter the correct area - otherwise it would be too
difficult.

The link at the end of the basic test is being fixed.

We will add our e-mail address to our introductory page for replies
and comments.

We will alter the note at the end of the test so that it is less
intimidating if the normal blindspot is missed.

It does not matter too much whether the eyes are level with the centre
of the computer screen but we will write something about this.

We had no idea that the site of an acknowledgement had changed.
Perhaps the artist who drew our pictures has stopped working in this
field. We will remove this acknowledgement.

Please keep criticising and I hope we can solve all problems.

Bertil Damato

 

May I respectfully reply to those who disagree with self-testing of
the visual field on the internet.

First of all, our test measures the visual field to 24 degrees and not
just 5 degrees, and this is possible because we use multiple fixation
points.

Second, our test is not designed to replace any conventional
examinations and not intended as a means to avoid seeing a qualified
practitioner. The purpose of our test is to bring visual field defects
to attention so that proper care from a qualified practitioner can be
obtained at an early stage.

Third, the aim of our test is to detect moderate and advanced visual
field defects indicating disease requiring the most urgent treatment.

Fourth, self-testing of the visual field under medical supervision as
an adjunct to clinic examinations has long been considered useful
practice in selected patients, using the Amsler grid, for example in
patients with macular degeneration. There is no reason why our test
should not be used in the same way, if our research confirms its
validity.

We are still investigating our test to find out how well it works and
are certainly not suggesting that it should replace other methods.

If anyone wishes to try our test, do a search in Google for 'Damato
Visual Field Test'.


Bertil Damato

 

I found the test instructions confusing: look at the blue dot and put the
red one in the normal blind spot -- I have not a clue what that means.
There also seems to be a test consistency problem vis a vis use of the
mouse. Assuming the mouse stays where it is, placing the opposite hand
over an eye will likely garner different results than using a foreign
object (tissue, cloth) to cover an eye, but then getting that object to
stay in place is not so easy without taping.

Gene Goldenfeld

 

Another problem I see right off the bat....the test instructions are very
difficult to read due to background colour and poor definition of
print...as a person with a very restricted visual field, problems with glare
and poor acuity, I find white on black and black on white the best with at
least a 12 point font. I know you can increase font size on web sites, but
that sometimes alters presentation of the functional part of the website.
Anyway, I did not enjoy the colour schemes...a small but difficult area for
a lot of us to cope with.\

Bill