VS 117 LABORATORY VII:
FIXATION DISPARITY
INTRODUCTION
Under binocular viewing, subjects generally do not gaze directly
at the visual target. Fixation disparity is defined as the difference
between the target vergence angle (binocular parallax) and the
ocular converence angle during binocular fixation, as shown in
Fig. 1. Fixation disparity occurs in the presence of binocular
feedback, so it is a closed-loop error. It is measured under
the assumption that the fixation target remains fused.
Phoria is defined as the difference between binocular parallax
and the ocular convergence angle during monocular fixation (i.e.,
when one eye is occluded), as shown in Fig. 1. Occluding one
eye dissociates binocular vergence by eliminating feedback from
binocular retinal image disparity, so it is an open-loop vergence
error. The phoria indicates the position of rest of the eyes.
The magnitude of the phoria is proportional to the magnitude
of the fixation disparity.
Fig. 1: a) Fixation disparity and b) Phoria
fixation disparity = Q - d
phoria = Q - a
The fixation disparity indicates the balance of two forces.
One force is the disparity stimulus to disparity vergence and
the other is the phoria. Several factors can influence the magnitude
of the resulting fixation disparity, including the strength of
the disparity stimulus (i.e. image size, retinal locus and image
density), the ability to adapt vergence and reduce the phoria
during binocular fixation, and the effects of lenses and prisms
on the magnitude of the phoria. Large complex binocular foveal
images are strong fusion stimuli. If a subject wears prisms for
several minutes while fusing these images, the phoria produced
by the prisms tends to be reduced in time due to prism adaptation.
In essence, the open-loop vergence error is adapted away. Clinicians
can be surprised by their patients' ability to adapt away the
need to wear prisms when the anticipated changes in phoria produced
by a new spectacle correction disappear in several hours or days.
Generally, clinicians are concerned with how well the disparity
vergence system can overcome the force or stress of the phoria.
Fixation disparity can be used to measure this using a provocative
stress test called the forced-duction or prism-induced fixation
disparity function. In this test, a patient's phoria is altered
with prisms added before the eyes. The resulting changes in fixation
disparity are then measured. If the changing prism has little
influence on fixation disparity, either the fusional or disparity
vergence system is very robust or the vergence phoria is very
adaptable. These patients often respond well to vision training
exercises (ocular calisthenics), whereas patient who have large
changes in fixation disparity with added prism usually require
optical aids of lenses and prisms to relieve visual stress related
to their phorias. The purpose of this laboratory exercise is
for you to learn how fixation disparity is measured clinically,
and how lenses and prisms can alter the fixation disparity and
reduce stress on fusional vergence.
APPARATUS
Vision Analysis disparometer, polaroid glasses, prisms, lenses, pen-light
PROCEDURE
For this lab, use the same subject used in Lab V (AC/A).
Attach the disparometer to the metal stand 40cm from the subject.
The subject may wear his/her corrective glasses. The subject
should put on the polaroid glasses and look at the vertical lines
in the lower circle of the disparometer. With the glasses on,
the subject will see the upper line with the right eye and the
lower line with the left eye. These lines are called Nonius lines,
named after the Portuguese mathematician Nunez who invented the
first Vernier caliper. The subject should fuse the parafoveal
Snellen charts while attending to the Nonius lines. The lines
should be illuminated with a pen-light shining through the disparometer
plexiglass window on the subject's right. The experimenter will
rotate the knob on the back of the disparometer until the Nonius
lines appear aligned to the subject. The experimenter then notes
the corresponding fixation disparity.
Perform the experiment for each of the following three conditions,
with each condition repeated five times. The prism should be
placed in front of the right eye, and the lenses should be placed
in front of both eyes.
1. Baseline: no prism or lenses
2. Prisms: 7D base-in, 4D base-in, 4D base-out, 7D base-out
3. Lenses: +2D, +1D, -1D, -2D
REPORT
For this lab, turn in a single group report containing:
1. Data sheet (one data sheet per group)
2. Graphs (one set of graphs per group)
3. Questions (answered individually for each group member)
GRAPHS:
Graph 1. Plot the forced-duction curve (fixation disparity as a function of prism power) for conditions 1 and 2.
Graph 2. Plot the forced-duction curve (fixation disparity as a function of dioptric power) for conditions 1 and 3.
Graph 3. Plot the derived AC/A (prism power as a function
of dioptric power). The data points for this plot can be obtained
by determining the pairs of prism and dioptric power that correspond
to the same fixation disparity values from Graphs 1 and 2. You
can draw horizontal lines across Graphs 1 and 2 at different fixation
disparity values, and then locate the corresponding prism value
on Graph 1 and lens value on Graph 2.
Below Graph 3, compare the derived AC/A from this lab with the
gradient AC/A from Lab V.
QUESTIONS:
1. Which of the four classes of fixation disparity curves categorized by Ogle best describes your data?
2. How would the prism-induced fixation disparity curve change if the subject viewed the Nonius lines through negative lenses in addition to the prisms?
3. A negative lens induces convergence. Why does a negative lens also induce an eso-fixation disparity?
4. A base-out prism induces convergence. Why does a base-out prism also induce an exo-fixation disparity?
5. Define associated phoria and dissociated phoria.