Visual acuity of dentists in their respective clinical conditions

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the impact of age and magnification on the near visual acuity of dentists in their private practice under simulated clinical conditions.

Materials and methods: Miniaturized visual tests were fixed in posterior teeth of a dental phantom head and brought to 31 dentists in their respective private practice. The visual acuity of these dentists (n = 19, ≥40 years; n = 12, <40 years) was measured in a clinical setting under the following conditions: (a) natural visual acuity, distance of 300 mm; (b) natural visual acuity, free choice of the distance; and (c) loupe and additional light source, if available.

Results: The visual acuity under the different clinical conditions varied widely between individuals. The older group of dentists had a lower median visual acuity value under all clinical conditions. This difference was highly significant for natural visual acuity at a free choice of distance (p < 0.0001). For younger dentists (<40 years), visual acuity could be significantly improved by reducing the eye-object distance (p = 0.001) or by using loupes (p = 0.008). For older dentists (≥40 years), visual acuity could be significantly improved by using loupes (p = 0.0005).

Conclusions: Visual performance decreased with increasing age under the specific clinical conditions of each dentist's private practice. Magnification aids can compensate for visual deficiencies.

Clinical relevance: The question of whether findings obtained under standardized conditions are valuable for the habitual setting of each dentist's private practice seems clinically relevant.