Quantitative analysis of the effects of a bangerter filter on gross stereopsis in experimental models of reduced visual acuity

Although a 0.3 Bangerter filter, which reduces visual acuity, is frequently used for treating moderate amblyopia, the effects on gross stereopsis are not well known. This study quantitatively evaluated whether gross stereopsis is degraded by a Bangerter filter. Seven healthy subjects (median age: 29 years) participated in this psychophysical study. Targets with crossed disparities of 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, and 5° were randomly presented on a three-dimensional television display. The subjects indicated the point at which the targets popped out from the television screen (matching method). The distance from the screen to the point was defined as the degree of stereopsis. This experiment was performed with and without a 0.3 Bangerter filter. The corrected monocular visual acuities were decreased to about 20/63 by the filter in all subjects. No significant difference was observed for any of the disparities (1°-5°), between the degree of stereopsis visualized with and without filters for either the dominant or the non-dominant eye. The degree of stereopsis was not degraded by the reduced visual acuity induced by the use of 0.3 Bangerter filters. In this regard, the use of 0.3 Bangerter filters may be considered safer than occlusion eye patches for the patients with normal binocular vision.