Abstract
PURPOSE: To compare the visual acuity assessment using the Peekaboo vision application (PVA) and LEA grating paddles in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Children with ASD with better than average intelligence quotient levels (IQ >86) were included in this retrospective analysis. RESULTS: A total of 62 patients with ASD were included, of whom 77.4% were males and 22.6% were females. The mean age of the children was 5.85 ± 2.86 years (range: 2 to 14 years). The number of patients with Superior IQ was 16 (25.8%), and the number of patients with above-average IQ was 41 (66.1%). The mean visual acuity obtained using the PVA was 0.47 ± 0.41 logMAR (range: 0.6 to 2.09 logMAR), and the mean visual acuity obtained using the LEA grating paddle was 0.85 ± 0.38 logMAR (range: 0.04 to 1.9 logMAR) (P < 0.001). The mean testing time using the PVA was 1.45 ± 0.46 minutes, and the mean testing time using the LEA grating paddle was 0.87 ± 0.53 minutes (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The study findings suggested that LEA grating and PVA were not comparable and should not be used interchangeably. However, PVA has the potential to be used for visual acuity assessment in children with ASD.