University of Melbourne Online HPPD Study

[JacobPaul]

Web-based, broad assessment of visual processing associated with Hallucinogen Persistent Perception Disorder (HPPD) - University of Melbourne, Australia

 

Study link: https://q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_4T2F61WiEKKeLsO

Enquiries: percept-pharm-lab@unimelb.edu.au

Researchers: Prof Olivia Carter, Dr Jacob Paul

 

Have you ever had a bad experience with psychoactive drugs that changed your visual perception (such as visual snow or static, excessive eye floaters) and/or experienced persistent problems with your vision (such as afterimages, motion trails, brightness sensitivity, night-blindness, warping/pulsing, geometric patterns)? We are developing a web-based assessment tool to better understand the brain mechanisms underlying such experiences, with the aim of helping individuals track their visual acuity over time and determine the impact of ongoing drug-use.

 

Should you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete:

(1) multiple, short surveys asking whether you have ever experienced any visual disturbances related to psychoactive drug-use, and if so, how bothersome these experiences may have been. You will be provided the opportunity to describe your history of recreational drug-taking, which is optional and strictly confidential. We will also assess your self-perceived current mood (depression, anxiety) and feelings of stress.

(2) a short test battery examining your visual threshold for spatial integration, form perception, and contrast sensitivity. This will involve observing images on your laptop/computer screen that show simple patterns such as gratings, dots, or visual noise patterns, and reporting what you see via a key press. The images will either be a sequence of static images (black and white gratings, dot patterns) or continuous dynamic stimuli (moving group of small dots).

The approximate time commitment required is expected to be no more than one hour. While this research project involves tasks measuring visual processing acuity and mood, it does not constitute a medical diagnosis or assessment. If you are 18 years or older and would like to learn more about participating our study, please click here.

Please note: you will need a laptop/desktop computer to complete this study as it is not accessible via a phone/tablet. The study may not load properly on Safari so please use another browser.

[brake]

Did it. Thank you very much for taking a serious interest in this disorder. I felt like it got both the objective and subjective sides of the topic. 

[JacobPaul]

On 8/13/2024 at 11:19 AM, brake said:

Did it. Thank you very much for taking a serious interest in this disorder. I felt like it got both the objective and subjective sides of the topic. 

Thank you for your feedback and sharing your experiences - glad you felt we got the balance right.