|
Introducing
the Dyop® The
“Revolutionary” Method for Measuring Visual Clarity (Acuity) Helping the world see more clearly, one person at a time.
The world we see is dynamic,
rather than static, and vision is an autonomic and dynamic process inherent
in all animals. Our eyes are biological
machines which help us survive by enabling us to automatically detect motion, distance, and colors
so that we can see predators and food and eat rather than being eaten. By being autonomic most of us don’t have to
think about what it would take to have things we need to see be properly in
focus. Visual acuity is the term used to describe the clarity of what
you see. A refraction
is the process of using special lenses to measure optical variables of sphere,
cylinder, and axis which go into creating eyeglasses and contact lenses
and compensate for “less than perfect” vision. Typical vision tests use static letters
or symbols as the standard targets for measuring vision. The flaw in those static measurement systems is that they typically
measure only two dimensions using
the height of the visual target and the viewing distance to
that target. Instead, the world we see
(the “real world”) is a fifth
dimensional process consisting of height,
width, colors, distance, and time.
A Dyop® (pronounced “di-op” and short for dynamic optotype) is a calibrated segmented spinning ring visual target
(aka, optotype) which helps doctors (and you) test how clear your vision
is. A Dyop provides a strobic stimulus to the photoreceptors
in the center rear area of the retinal of your eye called the fovea. (See the illustrations and
details below). = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = What Regulates Acuity For vision to be effective and efficient, it needs to be autonomic (so
that we are unaware of that process). However, acuity
is NOT regulated by the brain.
As
light goes through the cornea and lens, it is bent so that Blue is focused in FRONT of the retina, Green is focused ON the retina, and Red is focused BEHIND the retina. (See the diagram below.) Acuity is regulated by the relative focal depths
and intensity of those colors as they are perceived by the color sensitive
photoreceptors in the fovea at the back of your eyes. Clusters of 20 of those color sensitive
photoreceptors send their signals forward to the layer of neuroganglia
in front of the retina. That neuroganglia layer of cells then sends a
signal from those 20 photoreceptors to the lens to regulate the lens
shape to bring that image into focus, and a combined signal from 100 fovea
photoreceptors to the brain to record that image. The process of
combining the response of the color-sensitive photoreceptors to light and
color is like the pixel images you see on
your computer monitor, tablet, or Smartphone. You think you are seeing lines, shapes,
letters, and/or words. What you really are seeing are
pixels of light moving rapidly across the surface of your
computer screen, tablet, or Smartphone in
combinations of Red, Green, and Blue. The process of acuity regulation and
accommodation by the color receptive cone-shaped photoreceptors we call Chromatic Triangulation.
Chromatic Triangulation is based on the
concept of bending (refracting) light that Isaac Newton discovered in 1665
when he filtered light through a prism.
https://www.dyop.net/documents/Dyslexia_and_Color_Perception-SandraStark.pdf https://www.dyop.net/documents/ASOP-06-0651-Dyop_Color_Perception.pdf A simple experiment to
demonstrate that acuity is regulated by the Chromatic Triangulation of Red, Green, and Blue, rather than by the brain, is to close one eye and look around the
room where you are now. You will
notice that with only one eye open you can still determine the relative
distance to nearby objects without the need for binocular vision. One of the numerous side effects of NEAR Vision Stress (Predator Vision) and an Unstable Near Image is that it is
associated with dyslexia and with a lower percentage of Green-sensitive photoreceptors (only
20%) in the rear fovea area of the retina making it more difficult to keep
the lens in proper focus for near images.
The OPPOSITE of a Stable NEAR Image (Analytical Vision) is a Stable DISTANCE Image (Predator Vision) which has the
evolutionary advantage of being better able to spot predators and game. As human culture (and biology) evolved from drawings on the walls of
caves, to pictographs as representatives of sounds and images, and then to
combining letters as representatives of words and symbols, the benefits of a Stable Near Image increased
because it allowed greater creativity and flexibility in dealing with
concepts and enhanced the use of technology.
(Technology is defined as the use of information as a substitute for
time, energy, and matter.)
It was only when the benefits of being using words and pictographs increased
the survival advantages for spotting predators and game, that the problem of
some individuals had with an Unstable NEAR Image became
identified as dyslexia.
Other
side effects of an Unstable Near Image
are migraines and epilepsy. An Unstable Near Image is
also a contributory factor in PTSD (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder), making
recovery and dealing with PTSD more difficult. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = How
Acuity is Measured The
properties of visual clarity (acuity) are the SIZE (area) OF THE IMAGE being observed, the VIEWING
DISTANCE to that image, and the ability
of the visual system to PROCESS THAT IMAGE as clearly as possible (Resolution Acuity). As
a Dyop® spinning ring gets smaller, the (equally sized) gaps and segments
become so small that it becomes impossible (sub-acuity) for the eye to detect
the spin direction of the Dyop
ring rotation. The Dyop acuity endpoint is the smallest Dyop diameter where the direction
of rotation of the spinning ring can still be detected. It serves as a precise, physiological
indicator of visual clarity and vision correction. A Dyop test can measure vision without the need
for patient literacy, measure vision in infants as young as 14
months of age, and let doctors precisely
measure vision in color enabling potential diagnostics for symptoms of
dyslexia and glaucoma.
Static acuity tests (such as Snellen
letters) are inherently imprecise and inconsistent.
They mistake the process of visual cognition for visual resolution
and have an arbitrarily determined and overly large stimulus area (1.0 arc
minutes squared) as the benchmark for vision rather than the empirically
determined smaller Dyop stimulus gap area (0.54 arc minutes squared). Additionally, static vision tests such as Snellen deplete the
dynamic response of the color receptive photoreceptors in the fovea and lack
the uniform precision of Dyop testing.
The result is that static vision tests tend to add excess minus power
(about 0.5 diopters) to acuity and refractions, lead to angular elongation of the eye and
increased myopia, and indicate that Snellen testing may be a factor in the Global Epidemic of Myopia. https://www.dyop.net/documents/Snellen_vs_Dyop_Refractions-Sanni.pdf https://www.dyop.net/documents/ASOP-2022-01_Sanni-update.pdf A simple test to verify that your lenses are too strong with too much minus
power (IF
you wear glasses), is to push your glasses about a half inch away from
your face and see if the words you are reading become larger and more
legible. If you notice that the words
get more legible, that Snellen-induced excess minus power of your glasses is
typically about 0.25 to 0.50 diopters. While it isn’t much, it does reduce your
cognition, and possibly your IQ by 10 points. Using a Dyop for testing vision
is better than the use of static letters (aka, the 1862 Snellen’s “Big E”
test) or static shapes because the
functioning of the spinning strobic stimulus of a Dyop is based on how your
eyes work. As the
Dyop diameter gets smaller, its alternating gaps and segments get proportionately
smaller. When the spinning Dyop gaps get sufficiently
small, the stimulus area of each gap becomes smaller than the minimum AREA to
stimulate the color-receptive
photoreceptors in the rear (fovea) area of the retina, which are clusters of
about 20 color-receptive photoreceptors.
When the Dyop gaps become too small to sufficiently stimulate a
cluster of photoreceptors, the spinning of the Dyop ring is
not detected because the stimulus of
the gaps and segments tend to merge. A
Dyop NOT detected as spinning is a “sub-acuity” diameter. As the Dyop diameter
is increased to enable the gaps to
stimulate a minimum of 20 fovea photoreceptors, that minimum Dyop diameter
where spinning IS detected is
the Acuity Endpoint. That minimum size threshold for
detecting the gaps as spinning is also called the Minimum AREA of Resolution (MAR). A
major flaw in current letter-based acuity testing, and acuity “standards”
using letters is that Snellen acuity is a two-dimensional problem dealing
only with the letter height and the viewing distance and mistakenly calling
it the “Minimum ARC of Resolution” rather than the “Minimum AREA of Resolution.” The result of using Resolution Acuity with a Dyop for acuity and refractions is
that a Dyop is up to six times more precise than the 1862
derived Snellen static letter-based tests (which use culturally dependent
static Recognition Acuity letters or
symbols), is up to eight times more consistent, and is up to three times more efficient. A Dyop also can measure acuity regardless of the subjects’ literacy skills or culture, easily enables testing of children or infants, and enables
measurement of acuity in color for potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic
use. And because a Dyop can measure acuity in color it also enables
the realization that, for most humans, color is an essential part of being
able to see and regulate acuity. Static vision tests
(e.g., Snellen) are based on how well you recognize culturally dependent
letters or symbols using Recognition Acuity, are influenced by where you're from, or
how much you've practiced (or memorized), and are intentionally only in black
and white. Using Resolution Acuity with a Dyop
makes vision testing simpler, faster, more precise, and more consistent. = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = Recent Dyop Discoveries Recent Dyop discoveries have compared inaccurate
refractions, and the effects of cataracts, to the reduction of cognition
associated with dyslexia. Induced Dyslexia: https://www.dyop.net/documents/Induced_Dyslexia.pdf That analysis and
refraction research also explain why the current Global Epidemic of Myopia may likely be a result of
the use of the current computerized Snellen test for refractions with its white
computer-generated background, functioning to burn out the response of the
fovea photoreceptors: https://www.dyop.net/documents/How_Snellen_is_Making_People_Blinder.pdf = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = A simple
experiment to demonstrate that acuity
is NOT regulated by the brain, but
rather is regulated using Chromatic Triangulation of Red, Green,
and Blue color sensitive photoreceptors in the fovea of
the retina, is to close one eye and look around the room where you are
now. You will notice that with only one eye open you can still determine the relative distance to nearby objects without
the need for binocular vision documenting
that acuity is NOT regulated by the brain. If you
wear glasses, a simple test to also verify that your
lenses are too strong (with too much
minus power IF you wear glasses), is to push your glasses about a half inch
away from your face and see if the words you are reading become larger and
more legible. If you notice that the words get more legible, that
Snellen-induced excess minus power of your glasses is typically about 0.25 to 0.50 diopters.
While it isn’t much, it reduces your cognition and possibly your IQ by 10
points. You can
verify the hyper-stimulus visual effect by briefly staring at a white light
bulb and then closing your eyes. With your eyes closed you should
notice a white stimulus ring for an additional ten seconds from the depleted
photoreceptor response. The similar computer-generated hyper-stimulus of the WHITE background
for Snellen and other static vision tests is a probable contributor to the visual damage (with an
excess -0.50 diopters of sphere) done by using Snellen testing. Snellen
testing is likely a major factor in the Global Epidemic of Myopia of the past forty years with the advent of
computerized vision testing. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Online Dyop Visual Acuity Tests Select the link below to access the
visual clarity (acuity) test for the correct viewing distance. View the spinning rings at a five-foot or
ten-foot distance. Note the smallest pair of Dyop rings you
can detect as spinning. The center row of numbers between the
smallest pair of rings you can detect as spinning rings is the measure of your acuity. (Below are static images of the Dyop
online Acuity test.)
Dyop
Acuity Screening
Test for use at 5 feet Dyop Acuity Screening
Test for use at 10 feet Online Dyop Color Stress Screening Test Select the link below for the color screening (visual stress) test for the
correct viewing distance. View the spinning rings at a five-foot or
ten-foot distance. The
smallest colored Dyop ring (Blue/Black or Green/White) you can detect as
spinning indicates your color
acuity profile. Preferentially seeing the
Blue/Black rather than the Green/White indicates a probability of
symptoms of dyslexia, migraines or epilepsy. The center row of numbers between the
smallest rings you can detect as spinning is the measure of your color
acuity. (Below are static images of the Dyop
online Color Stress Screening test.)
Dyop Blue/Green Visual Screening Test – 5 feet - - - - Dyop Blue/Green Visual Screening Test – 10 feet = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Dyop Cognition-Impairment Test A Dyop may also
be used to evaluate the visual and mental impairment associated with
conditions such as marijuana
intoxication, PTSD, concussion injuries, and other possible mental
difficulties such as Alzheimer’s. https://www.dyop.net/documents/Dyop_Cognition_Test.html Use the link above to open the Dyop
Cognition-Impairment test. Note that THIS is a Timed Test. Click the word “Start” at the top of
the test to begin. Additional details are at: https://www.dyop.net/impairment.htm (Below is a
static image of the initial screen for the Dyop Cognition-Impairment
Test.)
Note that when the test starts, there will be FIVE
Dyops on the screen but only ONE of them is spinning. Use a computer mouse or touch screen to click the
arrow adjacent to the SINGLE spinning Dyop to indicate its spin direction. That Dyop will stop spinning, but ONE of the other
FOUR Dyops will then start spinning. Click the arrow adjacent to that next spinning Dyop
to indicate its spin direction. (Below is a static image of the response screen for
the Dyop Visual-Impairment Test.)
When you have found and detected all TEN of the
spinning Dyop test response trials, the screen will display the number of Correct Selections and
the elapsed Test Time. A test completion time of 14 to 16 seconds with 10
correct responses indicates mental alertness. A test completion time of 21 to 26 seconds with less
than 10 correct responses indicates minor mental impairment. A test completion time of 28 to 32 seconds with less
than 8 correct responses indicates increased mental impairment. A test completion time of 35 to 40 seconds with less
than 6 correct responses indicates significant mental impairment. (Below is a static image of a typical final response
screen for the Dyop Visual-Impairment Test.)
= = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = The Dyop® (Dynamic Optotype™) tests and concept are covered under U.S. Patent US 8,083,353 and International Published Patent WO 2011/022428. for further information contact: Allan
Hytowitz at Allan@Dyop.org 5035 Morton Ferry Circle, Johns Creek,
GA, 30022 / 404-281-7798 Copyright ©2025
DyopVision™ Associates. All Rights Reserved. |
