Trial reportOphthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)2023
Is critical flicker-fusion frequency a valid measure of visual fatigue? A post-hoc analysis of a double-masked randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Immediate Effects of Light Mode and Dark Mode Features on Visual Fatigue in Tablet Users.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Trial
- Is critical flicker-fusion frequency a valid measure of visual fatigue? A post-hoc analysis of a double-masked randomised controlled trial.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2023Trial
- Visually Induced Motion Sickness During Smartphone Use in Moving Metro Carriages: Effects of Posture and Viewing Duration-A Randomized Crossover Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Identifying Biomarkers Using a Portable, Home-Based Eye-Tracking System to Predict Short-Term Visual Fatigue Deterioration: Prospective Observational Feasibility Study.JMIR human factors · 2026Observational
- Smartphone gaming while walking increases visual fatigue compared with standing.Scientific reports · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCritical flicker-fusion frequency (CFF) has been used in clinical studies as a measure of visual fatigue. We examine the correlation between CFF and subjective reports of visual fatigue in a group of symptomatic computer users, to consider whether CFF may be used as a surrogate measure of visual fatigue symptoms.
methodsWe analysed data from a previous randomised controlled trial. One hundred and twenty adults, diagnosed with computer vision syndrome, had CFF and visual fatigue symptoms quantified before and after a visually demanding 2-h computer task. Symptoms were assessed using a questionnaire with nine subcomponents that summed to a total score of 900. CFF was measured using a two-interval forced-choice method, with the flicker rate altered by a computer-controlled staircase procedure. For our primary analysis, we determined Spearman correlation coefficients between post-task symptom scores and CFF, and between change from baseline symptom scores and CFF. We also used a bootstrap procedure to consider whether symptom score subcomponents were significantly (Bonferroni-corrected) different from overall scores with regard to their correlations with CFF.
resultsAlthough visual fatigue symptom scores altered significantly post-task (mean change: 92 units; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11 to 122), CFF did not (mean change -0.7 Hz; 95% CI: -1.7 to 0.3). There was no significant correlation between overall symptom scores and CFF, either for the post-task (r = -0.13; 95% CI: -0.31 to 0.05) or the change from baseline (r = -0.18; 95% CI: -0.35 to 0.01) analysis. Subcomponents of the symptom questionnaire did not show a significant correlation with CFF, either for the post-task or the change from baseline analysis.
conclusionsWe find that CFF is not a useful surrogate for symptoms of visual fatigue, given its low correlation with scores on a visual fatigue symptom questionnaire.
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