Abstract

Individuals with longstanding macular scotomas use an idiosyncratic, non-foveal retinal area adjacent to the scotoma to fixate and to inspect detailed visual stimuli (1). It is not known whether this preferred retinal locus (PRL) "selected” by the patient is the retinal area of highest residual visual acuity or how acuity is modified in retinal areas surrounding the scotoma. Because this information could be useful in visual rehabilitation of patients with macular disease we have developed a technique for measuring acuity at specific retinal loci using the Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (SLO) (2).

© 1987 Optical Society of America