Objective measures of visual improvement following amblyopia therapy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Objective measures of visual improvement following amblyopia therapy
IRAS ID
186327
Contact name
Daniel H Baker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Amblyopia (lazy eye) is a widespread visual disorder (~3% prevalence) characterized a difference in vision between the two eyes that cannot be improved by wearing glasses. Sufferers typically lack stereo vision, meaning that 3D movies look flat to them, and can end up with very poor vision overall if the stronger eye is later lost. The standard treatment involves patching or otherwise penalising the stronger eye during childhood to benefit the weaker eye, though in recent years a range of binocular training regimes (often involving computer games) have been proposed for adults that appear to also offer some benefit. However, we lack a clear understanding of how these therapies affect the neural responses to visual signals in the two eyes.
This study aims to address this lack of knowledge by measuring the brain's response to visual stimuli in both the stronger and weaker eye, using an electroencephalography (EEG) technique (which measures tiny changes in electrical activity on the scalp caused by brain activity). Participants will be children diagnosed with amblyopia who are receiving patching or dilation therapy already prescribed by an ophthalmologist, and adults with amblyopia who are not otherwise being treated, and who will receive a binocular vision therapy. We will measure EEG activity before and after the treatment, to understand how the neural responses change as a consequence of therapy. This will give us a greater understanding of how conventional treatments work, provide an objective measure of visual improvement, and allow us to compare newer treatments aimed at adults with well-established treatments used in children. EEG may prove a useful tool in clinical practice for monitoring the progress of amblyopia therapies, as well as a potential outcome measure in future clinical trials.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0532
Date of REC Opinion
21 Dec 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion