Sarah F. Newbolds¹, Vinay A. Shah², Ilya M. Sluch³, Michael J. Wenger¹; ¹University of Oklahoma, ²Retina Consultants of Oklahoma, ³US Veterans Administration

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes caused by chronic hyperglycemia and is a leading cause of blindness in the working population. In 2020, DR was estimated to affect over 103 million adults worldwide, and the prevalence is expected to increase. DR is associated with vision issues that can seriously affect daily life, including problems with reading, working, and driving. Although not yet studied quantitatively, many subjective reports have indicated that people with DR experience serious difficulty with facial recognition. Due to the burden that this symptom presents for those with DR, quantitative investigation of this topic is of particular importance. In the present study, we apply general recognition theory (GRT) and systems factorial theory (SFT)---mathematically rigorous frameworks for analyzing perceptual representation and cognitive processing---to performance on facial recognition tasks involving the canonical dimensions of featural and configural information. Using data from affected and control participants drawn from a large-scale study on DR, we examine how these two dimensions are perceptually encoded and processed in DR. Results from the GRT data indicate violations of perceptual separability and demonstrate individual differences in perceptual independence and decisional separability in those with DR. Results from the SFT data indicate serial exhaustive limited capacity processing in individuals with DR. This study is the first to apply formal perceptual and processing models to facial processing in DR. As such, this study allows unique and novel insights into the perceptual and cognitive impact of DR on a function that is foundational to a range of cognitive tasks and social interactions.