|
 “Lazy” eye, known medically as amblyopia, occurs when the eye cannot
clearly focus. Sometimes it’s caused by a person’s eyes being
misaligned.
The usual treatment is to wear a patch over the "strong" eye, "to
force the use of the amblyopic or weak eye,” said Eileen Birch, the
study’s senior author. Patching the strong eye forces the brain to
rely on the weak eye.
“That does work, but there’s been some research lately (suggesting)
that’s not really the right approach,” said Birch, who is senior
scientist at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest in Dallas. She
said the condition often recurs after patching.
Additionally, Birch said, the treatment for amblyopia should also
teach both eyes to work together.
For the new study, the researchers continued to follow children who
were treated for amblyopia in an earlier study using an experimental
game on an iPad. The game required the children to stack falling
blocks while wearing glasses with lenses that are different colors.
By playing with the color and contrast settings for the game,
researchers were able to require each eye to work toward stacking
the blocks. Additionally, they were able to require the children’s
eyes to work together.
After a few weeks, the researchers found children who used the game
had improved visual acuity, which is how much detail they’re able to
see. Another research team also found improvements in visual acuity
among adults.
During the first study, the researchers found that the children’s
improved vision remained stable for three months after they finished
treatment. The new study, reported in JAMA Ophthalmology, found the
improvement lasted for an entire year.
[to top of second column] |
In the new study, the researchers found the improvement in vision
among kids who used the game did not differ between children who
used an eye patch in an attempt to make the benefits last and those
who didn't.
“The kids who had no patching afterwards did just as well as the
kids who tried the maintenance patching,” Birch said.
While the app is not available to the average person, she said there
is a new trial underway to test the game's effectiveness in a much
larger group of children.
“There is a lot of interest in it," Birch said. “We’ll find out in a
clinical setting whether it’s helpful for children to have this.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1AUvHdp
JAMA Ophthalmology, online January 22, 2015.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
