Award-winning research redefining ocular dominance assessment using SimVis Gekko

Washington DC, USA —  2EyesVision announces that the article “Assessing Ocular Dominance: Rethinking the Current Paradigm” has been honored with the Stephen A. Obstbaum Award for Best Original Research Article published in 2025 in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (JCRS). The award was presented during the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting.

Pepose JS, Thompson V, Hoopes P, Waring G 4th, Rebenitsch RL, MacRae SM, Donaldson KE, Durrie DS, Marcos S. Assessing Ocular Dominance: Rethinking the Current Paradigm. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2025 Mar 26;51(7):592–599. doi:10.1097/j.jcrs.0000000000001659.

Study extract published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (JCRS).

About the Study

Published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, the study highlights a clinically relevant application of the SimVis Gekko visual simulator in monovision planning. Conducted across five leading U.S. private practices and including 326 participants, the research evaluated a novel approach to ocular dominance assessment using SimVis Gekko and compared it with the conventional hole-in-the-card test.

Unlike traditional sighting tests, the SimVis-based method assesses dominance under binocular viewing conditions and provides a quantitative measure of both eye laterality and dominance strength, offering a more functionally relevant framework for clinical decision-making.

Key findings

• A 41% discordance between conventional and SimVis-based methods
• Rapid, masked, quantitative assessment in approximately 2.5 minutes
• Functional, binocular sensory measurement aligned with real-world visual experience

Expert perspective

“This award highlights a clinically important point: ocular dominance for monovision should be assessed under binocular viewing conditions, not inferred solely from a sighting test,” said Susana Marcos, PhD. “SimVis enables quantification of both eye laterality and dominance strength in a fast, controlled, and masked manner, bringing assessment closer to real visual experience.”

“For surgeons, the practical relevance of this work is that it moves dominance assessment from a binary classification toward a functional, binocular sensory measurement,” said Jay S. Pepose, MD, PhD. “This creates a more clinically meaningful framework for monovision planning and provides a foundation for studying how dominance strength may relate to adaptation and patient satisfaction.”

Relevance for 2EyesVision

This recognition reflects growing clinical interest in sensory and binocular approaches to ocular dominance assessment. The study, authored by leading surgeons and researchers, aligns with the company’s ongoing efforts to support more informed, sensory-based preoperative assessment and more personalized monovision planning through visual simulation technologies.

About the Obstbaum Award

Presented annually by the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery at the ASCRS Annual Meeting, the Stephen A. Obstbaum Award recognizes the best original research article published in the journal during the preceding year.

Related Coverage:

• Vance Thompson presenting Eye Dominance Strenght at ESCRS 2023: https://youtu.be/bHf6p05yxj0
• Ocular dominance a key factor in monovision: https://www.healio.com/news/ophthalmology/20240322/video-ocular-dominance-a-key-factor-in-monovision#:~…
• Modernizing the Approach to Ocular Dominance: https://crstoday.com/articles/aug-2025/modernizing-the-approach-to-ocular-dominance
• A new understanding for Ocular Dominance: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/1516463-spring-2024/64?
• Unveiling SimVis Gekko2: https://youtu.be/WA4qfdF3KSs?si=IVD7hu4UmDVxk2gz