Patients who have five or more dots are typically what?

• A. Normal stereo perception
• B. Malingering, diplopia, lens subluxation, or monocular diplopia
• C. Central suppression
• D. Excellent stereo acuity

Answer: (B)

In stereo testing, you expect a single, fused perception based on disparity between the two eyes. If a patient reports five or more dots, that pattern signals they’re not using true stereo cues. This can occur when there’s double imaging or non-stereoscopic cues, such as monocular diplopia (seeing two images with one eye), lens subluxation (ghost images), or malingering (faking responses). These situations produce multiple dots or extra images rather than a single, accurate depth cue.

Normal stereo perception would produce a correct, singular response. Central suppression or excellent stereo acuity would not be characterized by an excess of dots; suppression tends to reduce fusion, not create extra dots, and excellent acuity yields precise, not inflated, responses. So five or more dots point to non-stereo factors like those listed, making the described combination the best answer.