The Impact of Objective Visual Quality and Retinal Structure on Dynamic Visual Acuity

The study aims to explore the impact of objective visual quality and retinal structure on dynamic visual acuity (DVA) in 30 healthy young adults with a mean age of 23.0 ± 3.7 years. Binocular DVA was assessed at 20, 40, 60, and 80 degrees per second (dps) with habitual spectacles. Modulation transfer function (MTF), higher-order aberrations (HOA) and retinal structure, including retinal thickness and capillary density in the optic disc and macula, were measured. DVA differed significantly across velocities (P < 0.001). DVA at 20 dps (r = -0.537, P = 0.002) and 60 dps (r = -0.430, P = 0.018) were negatively correlated with the binocular mean sphere. DVA at 20 and 60 dps was significantly associated with MTF value from 5 to 30 cycle/degree (c/d), and 80 dps DVA was associated with MTF value at intermediate spatial frequencies (10 to 20 c/d) (P < 0.05, respectively). Limited associations were observed between DVA and retinal thickness or capillary density in the optic disc and macula. In conclusion, better objective visual quality, as measured by MTF, was associated with better DVA at both low and high speeds in healthy adults, whereas retinal structural parameters had a limited association with DVA.