Comparison of the Keeler and Sonksen logMAR visual acuity tests - v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparison of the logMAR crowded and Sonksen logMAR visual acuity tests for amblyopic children aged 12 and under
IRAS ID
167002
Contact name
Daisy C MacKeith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sheffield
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
This is a comparison of two children's vision tests, the 'Sonksen logMAR test'(SLT) and the 'logMAR crowded test' (LCT). The tests are used by eye specialists to measure children's vision. The tests are used to diagnose amblyopia (lazy eye) and are used during the treatment of amblyopia which occurs in childhood. Amblyopia is a disorder of visual development which affects around 2-3% of the population.
Both tests are in the form of a book with four letters on each page. In the LCT the letters are closer together. The closer letters are together the harder it is to see them - this is known as 'crowding'. People with amblyopia are affected by crowding more than others. Therefore it is possible that the vision results from the SLT may be higher than the LCT. The aim is to find out if results from the two tests are different. It is important to know this because there are national guidelines for screening for amblyopia based on vision test results. If the results from different tests are inconsistent it could mean that children are being referred to hospital unnecessarily or that children are passing their vision tests when actually they need to be seen in hospital.
The research will be carried out by orthoptists (eye specialists) in the eye clinics at Addenbrooke’s hospital and Anglia Ruskin University. The participants will be children with amblyopia aged 3-12 years who attend these clinics for routine appointments. Each child will have their vision tested twice, once with each test. The testing will be done on the day the child is visiting the eye clinic for their routine appointment and should take no more than twenty minutes. The study will finish when 42 participants have been recruited.REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0099
Date of REC Opinion
10 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion