Free screening test • Honest about what the science does and doesn't show
Mold exposure and contrast sensitivity
A free, calibrated contrast sensitivity screening test. Three minutes, no signup, results stay on your device.
Take the testFree • 3 minutes • No signup • Phone, tablet, or laptop.
Why this test, for mold-exposure concerns.
Some patients exposed to water-damaged buildings report visual symptoms — blur, glare sensitivity, and a sense that their vision is “grayer” than it used to be — even when a standard eye exam reads normal.
A specific contrast sensitivity pattern (mid-spatial-frequency loss, sometimes called the “Shoemaker pattern”) is part of one clinical framework for chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). The independent evidence base is small and the framework is contested — both sides have published.
Our test is free, properly calibrated to your screen and viewing distance, and won’t tell you that you “have CIRS.” It tells you what your contrast sensitivity function currently looks like, with a curve you can save and re-take next month.
What this test can and can’t tell you.
It can
- Surface unusual mid-frequency contrast loss that a 20/20 chart wouldn’t catch.
- Give you a number you can track over weeks or months as conditions change.
- Provide a curve and per-frequency data you can bring to a clinician.
It can’t
- Diagnose CIRS, “mold illness,” or any biotoxin condition.
- Replace ERMI dust testing, blood biomarkers, or other environmental workups.
- Distinguish biotoxin-related contrast loss from any of the many other causes.
The longer read.
We’ve written about this in depth — with citations and a “what the science says vs. what we don’t know” section.
What the science does and doesn't say about CIRS→Take the test
Free, 3 min. No signup. Results stay on your device.