Multiple sclerosis. Luminance threshold and measurements of temporal characteristics of vision

Luminance threshold, perceptual latency, double-flash resolution, and critical flicker frequency were examined in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in normal control subjects. The intensities of the stimuli used to test the temporal properties of vision were equalized with respect to individual luminance thresholds. In eight patients with MS, all the properties tested showed abnormality, double-flash resolution being most commonly affected. Retinal sites were not, however, uniformly abnormal according to these measures. The authors conclude that abnormal temporal properties of vision in patients with MS are not a simple functional consequences of altered luminance thresholds.