The clinical effectiveness of Eye-Search therapy for patients with hemianopia, neglect or hemianopia and neglect

Abstract

We investigated the clinical effectiveness of Eye-Search, a web-based therapy app designed to improve visual search times, in a large group of patients with either hemianopia, neglect or both hemianopia and neglect. A prospective, interventional cohort design was used. For the main, impairment-based outcome measure (average visual search time), the within-subject control was affected vs. unaffected side. Four hundred and twenty-six participants who fitted the inclusion criteria completed all 4 time points (1200 therapy trials). We found a significant three-way interaction between therapy, side and group. Eye-Search therapy improved search times to the affected visual field of patients with either hemianopia alone or neglect and hemianopia, but not those with neglect alone. Effect sizes were moderate to large and consistent with previous studies. We found a similar significant interaction between therapy and group for the patient-reported outcome measure “finding things” that most closely matched the impairment-based outcome (visual search). Eye-Search therapy improves both impairment-based and patient-reported outcome measures related to visual search in patients with hemianopia alone or hemianopia and neglect.