An Active Approach to Treat Amblyopia: Perceptual Learning and Video Games

University of California (UC), Berkeley

Status: Completed

Conditions: Amblyopia

Treatments: Behavioral: Perceptual learning; Behavioral: Video Games; Behavioral: Occlusion therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01115283

R01EY001728 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

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 both adults and children with amblyopia.

Full 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 both normal and amblyopic spatial vision. This study uses psychophysical measures to study neural plasticity in both adults and children with amblyopia. Research participants will be asked to practice a visual discrimination task (perceptual learning) or 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.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 5 to 75 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• adults and children (>5 years old) with normal vision or amblyopia
• amblyopia: interocular VA difference of at least 0.1 logMAR

Exclusion criteria

• any ocular pathological conditions, nystagmus

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

50 participants in 3 patient groups

Perceptual learning

Experimental group

Description:

Patients will be asked to practice a range of visual discrimination tasks for a period of time (each therapy session:1-2 hrs, 4-5 sessions/wk for \~1-6 months).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Perceptual learning

Occlusion therapy

Experimental group

Description:

The fellow sound will be covered with a standard eye patch for a period of time (1-2 hrs/day, 4-5 days/wk for \~1-3 months). The idea is to push the brain to use the weaker amblyopic eye.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Occlusion therapy

Video game

Experimental group

Description:

Patients will be asked to play videogames for a period of time (each therapy session:1-2 hrs, 4-5 sessions/wk for \~1-6 months).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Video Games