The Cardiff Contrast Test

Like its sister, the Cardiff Acuity Test, the Contrast test is designed especially for children aged 12 months to 3 years. It records contrast sensitivity, an invaluable measure of visual capabilities much closer to real-world situations than visual acuity.

It uses familiar pictures and a procedure in the form of a game to attract and keep the attention of the test subject. However, the test does not require the subject to be able to name or even to recognise the pictures. Instead, it relies on the technique of ‘preferential looking’ – that is, the observer simply notes the subject’s eye movements in order to determine whether he or she can see the picture.

The Cardiff Contrast Test was developed by Dr. J. Margaret Woodhouse, at the School of Optometry & Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, UK. It has been rigorously validated in scientific studies.

The Cardiff Contrast Test contains 12 contrast levels, covering a contrast range of 46% to 1% (contrast sensitivity range of 2.2 to 100).

The test is portable, comes with its own carry-case and full instructions.