A new random-dot stereotest using a 3D display and infrared oculography has been found to objectively assess stereopsis in children older than three years according to an article published in the November 2006 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS).

The study involved 56 children, 38 with various visual impairments and 18 with normal vision. Study participants were seated on their mother’s lap or alone with their heads stabilized by a chin and front rest. Unlike a number of other tests, this new 3D monitor stereotest does not require disassociating glasses that children often find cumbersome. The random dot stimulus was presented on an autostereoscopic display which allows viewing of full-color 3D images. The stimulus recognition was objectively assessed using infrared photo-oculography. The overall accuracy of the test was found to be 95 percent.

If applicable to preverbal children, the new test may permit study of the development of stereovision under natural conditions since no glasses are necessary to see the stimuli. The new test may be useful for the objective measurement of the sensory outcome following the treatment of ophthalmic disorders in the pediatric age group. It is also a potential substitute for the Lang I and II Test and the Radom-dot E Test, which require verbal capabilities from the subject tested.

The new test setting was developed by Daniel Mojon, MD, FEBO, of Kantonsspital St.Gallen in Switzerland, and the stimulus presentation algorithm by Xiaoyi Jiang, PhD, of the University of Muenster in Germany.