J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1992; 4:422-427
Copyright © 1992 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Visual perceptual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenic and affective disorders versus control subjects
F Flach, M Kaplan, H Bengelsdorf, B Orlowski, S Friedenthal, J Weisbard and D Carmody
New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.
Visual perception was evaluated with standard tests for 26 hospitalized
patients with schizophrenia, 23 hospitalized patients with affective
disorders, and 60 control subjects. Both patient groups differed
significantly from the control group on low amplitude of accommodation,
esophoria or exophoria, vergence duction suppression, and convergence and
divergence recovery ductions. Only the affective group showed significantly
reduced fusion at near distance, and only the schizophrenic group differed
significantly from control subjects on disorganized left apex formation.
These findings appear to confirm the presence of visual perceptual
disorders that can cause disability in psychiatric patients, with important
research and rehabilitation implications.
