Macular integrity tests

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The palm top allows easy portability and, as long as the surrounding lighting is set accordingly, a good contrast screen with minimal reflections. This is ideal for presenting various screens to a patient, particularly those with mobility problems.

The latest barrage of test charts from Chicken and Egg can be displayed on a hand set and prove easy to install and display via the imaging software usually already incorporated in the bundled software of handsets. Some of the displays require the use of red and green trial lenses, such as those for aniseikonia (Figure 1), suppression (Figure 2) and ocular paresis (Figure 3).

The graded maculopathy test (GMT) is a selection of grid patterns (Figure 4 for example) that allow a practitioner to map a central scotoma and then to record it on the supplied sheet (Figure 5).

As more rehabilitation work involves the introduction of eccentric viewing techniques, the ability to map a central scotoma repeatedly is increasingly important. A scotoma displaced to one side would allow a practitioner to place a target relative to an object in a patient's view they wish to observe such that when they place their central scotoma over the target (so obscuring it) the image of the desired object should fall onto viable retina. Accurate scotoma mapping is also a useful technique when monitoring eye disease and informing a patient of any progression.