The Refractive Errors of Dominant and Non-dominant Eyes.

Cho, Kyong Jin; Kim, So Youl; Yang, Suk Woo

doi:2009.50.2.275

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc > Volume 50(2); 2009 > Article

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2009;50(2):275-279.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2009.50.2.275 Published online February 15, 2009.

The Refractive Errors of Dominant and Non-dominant Eyes.

Kyong Jin Cho, So Youl Kim, Suk Woo Yang

¹Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. yswoph@catholic.ac.kr
²Glory St.Mary's Eye Clinic, Seoul, Korea.

우세안과 비우세안의 굴절이상

조경진¹ㆍ김소열²ㆍ양석우¹

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine,The Catholic University of Korea¹, Seoul, Korea / Glory St.Mary's Eye Clinic², Seoul, Korea

Abstract

PURPOSE
To evaluate differences between dominant and non-dominant eyes through analyzing refractive factors in determination of the dominant eye. METHODS: Sixty-two subjects without underlying ocular disease were recruited. Ocular dominance was determined using the hole-in-the-card test. Uncorrected visual acuity, refractive error, and intraocular pressure (IOP) were checked in both eyes. RESULTS: Mean uncorrected visual acuity of the dominant and non-dominant eye were 0.41 and 0.39, respectively. The number of patients whose uncorrected visual acuity of the dominant eye was superior to the non-dominant eye was 18(29%), and inferior to the non-dominant eye was 18(29%). Mean refractive power in the dominant eye was -3.2 diopter and -3.43 diopter degrees in the non-dominant eye, therefore no difference in degrees of myopia between the groups (P=0.282) was observed. The number of patients whose dominant eye had a greater degree of myopia than the non-dominant eye was 24(39%) and the patients with a lower degree of myopia in the dominant eye was 32(52%). Astigmatism of the dominant eye was lower than the non-dominant eye in 35(56%) of the patients, thus a significant relationship was shown between astigmatism and the dominant eye (P=0.0014). The mean IOP of the dominant eye was 15.4 mmHg and the non-dominant eye was 15.7 mmHg, showing no significant difference between eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The dominant eye showed a lower degree of astigmatism than the non-dominant eye. The previous belief that myopia is more progressed in the dominant eye than the non-dominant eye because of excessive accommodative use of the dominant eye requires further study.

Key Words: Astigmatism;Dominant eye;Non-dominant eye;Visual acuity