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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

Low contrast visual acuity in healthy adults: Impact on non-pathologic myopia

  • Toshio Narimatsu1
  • Noriko Onozato2
  • Haruna Togawa3
  • Shigeto Shimmura4
  • Yoko Ozawa
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Clinical Regenerative Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Ota, Tokyo, Japan
  2. 2Fujita Medical Innovation Center Tokyo, Ota, Tokyo, Japan
  3. 3Eye Center, Fujita Health University Haneda Clinic, Ota, Tokyo, Japan
  4. 4Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
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Abstract

Increase in myopia is a social issue worldwide. However, whether non-pathologic myopia with normal best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) exhibits differences in visual ability is not well-documented. Data of 43 healthy eyes in 43 participants (52.8 ± 6.07 years) including 13 (30.2%) males who underwent eye medical checkups at Fujita Medical Innovation Center, Tokyo were retrospectively analyzed. Eyes with general BCVA 0 in logMAR or better and without histories of ocular diseases and surgeries were included. Mean low-contrast visual acuity (LCVA) measured using grey-scale optotypes with best correction was 0.17 ± 0.13 (range, −0.079–0.53; median, 0.15). LCVA was correlated with age (r = 0.2634, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.040–0.522, P = 0.039). Eyes with LCVA better than 0.15 was associated with uncorrected visual acuity (OR, 43.425; 95%CI, 3.729–1250.027; P = 0.010), subjective spherical equivalent (OR, 1.761; 95%CI, 1.255–2.776; P = 0.004), subjective spherical power (OR, 1.616; 95%CI, 1.186–2.433; P = 0.008), and axial length (OR, 0.550; 95%CI, 0.293–0.951; P = 0.032) after adjusted for age and sex. Mean LCVA of less myopic eyes with spherical equivalent > −3.0 diopters was 0.12 ± 0.10 (median, 0.10), and that of more myopic eyes was 0.23 ± 0.14 (median, 0.22) (P < 0.001). Non-pathological myopic eyes exhibited worse LCVA under best correction and had a risk of worse visual ability.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{narimatsu2026contrast,
  title = {{Low contrast visual acuity in healthy adults: Impact on non-pathologic myopia}},
  author = {Toshio Narimatsu and Noriko Onozato and Haruna Togawa and Shigeto Shimmura and Yoko Ozawa},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357713},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357713},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Low contrast visual acuity in healthy adults: Impact on non-pathologic myopia
AU  - Toshio Narimatsu
AU  - Noriko Onozato
AU  - Haruna Togawa
AU  - Shigeto Shimmura
AU  - Yoko Ozawa
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/21
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357713
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357713
AB  - Increase in myopia is a social issue worldwide. However, whether non-pathologic myopia with normal best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) exhibits differences in visual ability is not well-documented. Data of 43 healthy eyes in 43 participants (52.8 ± 6.07 years) including 13 (30.2%) males who underwent eye medical checkups at Fujita Medical Innovation Center, Tokyo were retrospectively analyzed. Eyes with general BCVA 0 in logMAR or better and without histories of ocular diseases and surgeries were included. Mean low-contrast visual acuity (LCVA) measured using grey-scale optotypes with best correction was 0.17 ± 0.13 (range, −0.079–0.53; median, 0.15). LCVA was correlated with age (r = 0.2634, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.040–0.522, P = 0.039). Eyes with LCVA better than 0.15 was associated with uncorrected visual acuity (OR, 43.425; 95%CI, 3.729–1250.027; P = 0.010), subjective spherical equivalent (OR, 1.761; 95%CI, 1.255–2.776; P = 0.004), subjective spherical power (OR, 1.616; 95%CI, 1.186–2.433; P = 0.008), and axial length (OR, 0.550; 95%CI, 0.293–0.951; P = 0.032) after adjusted for age and sex. Mean LCVA of less myopic eyes with spherical equivalent > −3.0 diopters was 0.12 ± 0.10 (median, 0.10), and that of more myopic eyes was 0.23 ± 0.14 (median, 0.22) (P < 0.001). Non-pathological myopic eyes exhibited worse LCVA under best correction and had a risk of worse visual ability.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -