The worth four dot test is a great tool to help the clinician understand what the patient sees with each eye. This test is useful for detecting double vision or suppression, in which the brain ignores visual signals from one eye.

For what purpose is it used?

This test provides our eye doctor with information about how your brain processes the visual information it receives. Is your brain able to pay attention to both eyes at the same time? Or is it suppressing or selectively filtering out the information that's coming from one of the eyes? In this case, it allows your doctor to determine if you are neglecting the left or right eye. Or are you alternating back and forth between the eyes that are being ignored? Or do you exhibit a double vision response at times?

Another benefit of this test is that it gives our eye doctor information about how deeply embedded a suppression may be or what distances you may be experiencing double vision at. This is very helpful when they are working with you in the vision therapy room to customize procedures to help make you better.

What is suppression of one eye?

It occurs when one eye is given preference over the other by the brain by ignoring the visual signal from one eye and paying attention only to the other. The purpose of this is to prevent double or blurry vision. The brain does this when the eyes are not working together properly, but vision therapy can help train our brains to learn how to work correctly with both eyes.

What are the possible outcomes of a worth four dot test?

When Dr. McBryar uses the worth four dot test she will have the patient look at the worth for dot flashlight. The flashlight has four dots, one red, two green and one white. Then she will ask you to wear these red and green glasses, with the red lense covering your right eye. Dr. McBryar will be able to learn more about how your vision is working, how deep your suppression is embedded and at what distances you are experiencing double vision.

Two red dots: If you were to look with the right eye and the left eye was suppressed, what you would see would be the two red lights.

Three green dots: If your right eye is suppressed or ignored, you will see three green dots and the fourth will not be visible.

Five dots: If you have double vision, then you would see five dots, two red dots from your right eye and three green dots from your left eye.

Four dots: If there is proper fusion between both eyes, then you should see four dots.