Temporal sensitivity deficits in patients with high-risk drusen

Purpose: Data is reported from an ongoing trial considering functional losses in patients with high-risk drusen, We evaluate the temporal processing in 12 subjects: four patients with high-risk drusen, four age-matched controls and four young observers aged 22-30. Methods: Subjects were tested using frequency-doubling technology, macula static and flicker fields on a Medmont perimeter and foveal temporal contrast sensitivity at 2, 5, 10 and 24 Hz. Results: Eyes with high-risk drusen had good visual acuity (6/9.5(-2) or better). All control eyes had normal fields for static, flicker and frequency-doubling perimetry. All high-risk drusen eyes had normal static perimetry in the presence of abnormal flicker and frequency-doubling perimetry. Highrisk drusen eyes showed a generalized loss of temporal sensitivity across all frequencies. Conclusions: We conclude that eyes with high-risk drusen show losses to temporal stimuli in the presence of near-normal acuity and static thresholds. We suggest that flickering stimuli might be useful for detecting and monitoring such patients.