An Investigation of Dynamic and Static Visual Acuity

The effect on dynamic visual acuity (DVA) of target angular velocity ω and target exposure time t_e was examined. The correlation between DVA and static visual acuity (SVA), the ability to discriminate small spatial separations in a stationary target, was also determined.

DVA was measured for pairings of four values of ω (25, 30, 40, and 45 deg s⁻¹) with four values of t_e (0·4, 0·6, 0·8, and 1·0 s). The twenty-four subjects viewed Landolt-ring targets that were presented as slide projections on a rear-projection screen. The average thresholds for each condition were determined and compared. SVA was measured and correlated with the DVA scores for each condition.

The results indicated that: (i) DVA deteriorated for increased ω or decreased t, with the latter having the most significant effect, (ii) DVA and SVA were not significantly correlated, (iii) the experimental apparatus and procedure were highly reliable, and (iv) DVA improvement with testing was significant for some conditions.