Effects of prolonged forced vergence upon the adaptation system.

In previous studies the ability of the oculomotor system to adapt to prism-induced heterophoria has been shown. The 'phoria that occurs immediately after a prism has been placed before one eye gradually reduces and returns to its original baseline value as the subject is allowed binocular experience while wearing the prism. Little work has been carried out to determine when the adaptation is complete. In this study we report on the results of two experiments designed to determine when adaptation is complete. In the first, the rate of decay of adaptation, i.e. loss of slow fusional vergence, is measured after varying periods of forced vergence. In the second experiment the rate of adaptation to an additional disparity is measured; this should be the same as that before the induced effect if adaptation is complete. The results of this study indicate that although adaptation may appear complete by the criterion that the 'phoria has returned to its baseline value, the adaptation is unlikely to be truly complete for a much longer period of time has passed.