TY - JOUR
T1 - Visual Sensitivity in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
T2 - An Online Study
AU - Ten Brink, Antonia F.
AU - Bultitude, Janet H.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Antonia F. Ten Brink was supported by a Rubicon grant (019.173SG.019) from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The funder had no role in study design, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing the report, and the decision to submit the article for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2022/3/3
Y1 - 2022/3/3
N2 - Perceptual anomalies can provide insights into underlying pathologies even when they are not the main symptom of many clinical conditions. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and fibromyalgia are chronic pain conditions associated with changes in the central nervous system, possibly leading to enhanced visual sensitivity. It is unclear whether this occurs more than for people with other types of pain. We examined visual sensitivity elicited by different stimuli and in daily life, through an online study of people with CRPS (n = 57), fibromyalgia (n = 74), other pain (n = 50), and no pain (n = 89). Respondents rated changes in pain, discomfort, or distress from viewing patterns with different spatial frequencies (lower-order visual processing), and reversible figures (bistable images; higher-order visual processing). We assessed visual sensitivity in daily life using the Leiden Visual Sensitivity Scale and Visual Discomfort Scale. Respondents with CRPS or fibromyalgia reported more visual discomfort than pain-related and pain-free controls while viewing striped patterns and a circle, with no effect of spatial frequency. They reported more pain while viewing a nonreversible square, but not reversible figures (Necker Cube, Duck/Rabbit). Finally, they reported more daily visual sensitivity than pain-related and pain-free controls. Suppressing visual cortical activity might benefit people with CRPS or fibromyalgia.
AB - Perceptual anomalies can provide insights into underlying pathologies even when they are not the main symptom of many clinical conditions. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and fibromyalgia are chronic pain conditions associated with changes in the central nervous system, possibly leading to enhanced visual sensitivity. It is unclear whether this occurs more than for people with other types of pain. We examined visual sensitivity elicited by different stimuli and in daily life, through an online study of people with CRPS (n = 57), fibromyalgia (n = 74), other pain (n = 50), and no pain (n = 89). Respondents rated changes in pain, discomfort, or distress from viewing patterns with different spatial frequencies (lower-order visual processing), and reversible figures (bistable images; higher-order visual processing). We assessed visual sensitivity in daily life using the Leiden Visual Sensitivity Scale and Visual Discomfort Scale. Respondents with CRPS or fibromyalgia reported more visual discomfort than pain-related and pain-free controls while viewing striped patterns and a circle, with no effect of spatial frequency. They reported more pain while viewing a nonreversible square, but not reversible figures (Necker Cube, Duck/Rabbit). Finally, they reported more daily visual sensitivity than pain-related and pain-free controls. Suppressing visual cortical activity might benefit people with CRPS or fibromyalgia.
KW - bistable image
KW - complex regional pain syndrome
KW - fibromyalgia
KW - pattern glare
KW - reversible figures
KW - visual allodynia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125582199&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/03010066211072641
DO - 10.1177/03010066211072641
M3 - Article
C2 - 35236184
AN - SCOPUS:85125582199
VL - 51
SP - 187
EP - 209
JO - Perception
JF - Perception
SN - 0301-0066
IS - 3
ER -