Amblyopia
Conditions
Keywords
amblyopia treatment, neural plasticity, perceptual learning, vision therapy, spatial vision, video games, occlusion therapy
Brief summary
Amblyopia, a developmental abnormality that impairs spatial vision, is a major cause of vision loss, resulting in reduced visual acuity and reduced sensitivity to contrast. This study uses psychophysical measures to study neural plasticity in adults with amblyopia.
Detailed description
Amblyopia, a developmental abnormality that impairs spatial vision, is a major cause of vision loss, resulting in reduced visual acuity and reduced sensitivity to contrast. Our previous findings (see CITATIONS) show that the adult amblyopic brain is still plastic and malleable, suggesting that active approach is potential useful in treating amblyopia. The goal of this project is to assess the limits and mechanisms of neural plasticity in amblyopic spatial vision. This study uses psychophysical measures to study neural plasticity in adults with amblyopia. Research participants will be asked to play video games with the amblyopic eye for a period of time. A range of visual functions will be monitored during the course of treatment.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPerceptual learning
Research participants will be asked to practice a visual discrimination task (e.g. position acuity, contrast sensitivity, stereoacuity etc) in our laboratory for a period of time (2 hrs/day, 5 days/week).
BEHAVIORALVideo Game
Research participants will be asked to play off-the-shelf video games in our laboratory for a period of time (2 hrs/day, 5 days/week).
BEHAVIORALCrossover (Occlusion therapy + Video Game)
Phase 1. Research participants will be required to cover the good eye during the day in order to push the brain to use the amblyopic eye (2 hrs/day, 5 days/week for 2-4 weeks). Phase 2. Research participants will be required to cover the good eye during the day in order to push the brain to use the amblyopic eye (2 hrs/day, 5 days/week for 2-4 weeks).
Sponsors
National Eye Institute (NEI)
University of California, Berkeley
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adults with amblyopia (Age \>15 years) * Amblyopia: interocular visual acuity difference of at least 0.1 logMAR * All forms of amblyopia: Strabismic, anisometropic, refractive, deprivative, meridional amblyopia
Exclusion criteria
* Any ocular pathological conditions (eg macula abnormalities, glaucoma), nystagmus
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Amblyopic vision | 9 months | Improvement in amblyopic vision : visual acuity and stereoacuity |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial vision | 9 months | Improvement in spatial vision (positional acuity and spatial attention) |
| Temporal vision | 9 months | Improvement in temporal processing and temporal vision (attentional blink) |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed