Visual Function Tests

Abstract

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), including retinitis pigmentosa, have devastating consequences for the visual function of affected individuals. Chief among these are a gradual loss of visual field, visual acuity, and night vision (otherwise known as nyctalopia). These changes often occur slowly, over a course of decades. Objective modalities for assessing these many aspects of visual function are crucial, not only to the monitoring of disease progression but, in recent years, also to evaluating the efficacy or lack thereof of new therapeutic interventions in the setting of clinical trials. This chapter will provide descriptions of these valuable assessment modalities, alongside discussions of their advantages and limitations in the context of serving those afflicted by IRDs.