From a study by Marques JC, Vanessa AC, Fiorelli MB, and Kasahara N:
PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of automated perimetry of elderly subjects naïve to AP after listening to a Mozart sonata. INTRODUCTION: Automated perimetry (AP) is a psychophysical test used to assess visual fields in patients with neurological disorders and glaucoma. In a previous study, Fiorelli et al. showed that young subjects who listened to a Mozart sonata prior to undergoing AP performed better in terms of reliability than those who did not listen to the sonata. METHODS: Fifty-two AP-naïve, normal subjects underwent Automated perimetry (SITA 24-2). The study group (25 subjects) underwent AP after listening to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, and the control group (27 subjects) underwent Automated perimetry without prior exposure to the music. RESULTS: The study group had significantly lower false negative rates and a lower visual field reliability score [emphasis added] than the controls (P=0.04 and P=0.04, respectively). The test time was shorter for the study group [emphasis added] (P=0.03). DISCUSSION: This study shows that elderly subjects, when exposed to the Mozart sonata immediately before AP testing, have lower false negative rates and lower visual field reliability scores when compared with an age- and gender-matched control group. Our results differ from those of Fiorelli et al. who found lower false positive rates and less fixation loss in addition to lower false negative rates. CONCLUSION: Listening to a Mozart sonata seems to improve automated perimetry reliability in elderly subjects. [emphasis added]
This study shows that elderly people respond faster to visual stimuli and have lower false negative rates (meaning that they don’t miss things going on the perimeter of the visual field as often) after listening to the Mozart composition. A study I posted earlier found that normal people often have lower false positives as well (meaning they aren’t distracted by thinking they are seeing something that isn’t there). Therefore their vision tests are proved more reliable after listening to the Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K. 448).
My next vision test for my driver license is coming up in three years; I’m going to start a daily dose of the sonata!