Behavioral perimetry in monkeys.

PURPOSE Normative data on the systematic changes in visual sensitivity as a function of retinal eccentricity have provided the basis for efficient threshold strategies and data analysis routines for static perimetry. The standard methods of assessing visual field changes in patients also could be used for monkeys with experimentally induced ocular disorders if the normal visual fields of monkeys and humans were similar. METHODS Normal visual field data from three rhesus monkeys were compared to data from eight human subjects using the standard threshold programs of the Humphrey Field Analyzer. RESULTS The experimental paradigm developed for these measurements provided excellent behavioral control for the monkeys, with reliability indices well within acceptable limits. The visual field data from monkeys were comparable to those from humans with respect to: (1) sensitivity as a function of stimulus field size; (2) the derived Statpac global indices; and (3) the variance of threshold measurements across the visual field. CONCLUSION The visual fields of monkeys and humans are similar, and the techniques of computerized perimetry may be applied to monkey subjects without significant modification.