查看文章

Visual acuity evaluates spatial resolution (Whittaker and Lovie-Kitchin, 1993), but it is a poor predictor of performance in critical daily tasks (Gruber et al., 2013). On the other hand, contrast sensitivity (1/threshold) measures the ability to detect subtle changes in light against a background. The contrast sensitivity function (CSF) quantifies how contrast sensitivity varies as a function of spatial frequency, accounting for optical and neural effects at various stages in the central visual system. Importantly, the CSF is more closely related to performance in daily visual tasks (Owsley et al., 2020).

Many visual diseases affect visual acuity and the CSF differently. In the early stages of several clinical conditions, visual acuity may remain normal or near-normal, while the CSF exhibits deficits that may be spatial frequency dependent (Vingopoulos et al., 2023). Moreover, several studies found significant structure-function associations between CSF deficits and anatomical changes in various eye diseases (Tu et al., 2023).