Visual acuity improvement in adult anisometropic amblyopes after active vision therapy

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of active vision therapy in adults with anisometropic amblyopia. Methods: In this study, 20 adults with anisometropic amblyopia aged from 17–35 years old were treated for five sessions (one session per week) with vision therapy techniques which include accommodative rock, vergence rock, and saccadic training. Moreover, computerized vision therapy was performed by Optosys® software. Also, patients had been given a daily program for home training, including accommodative and vergence rock, and Optosys® software. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured before and after treatment. Results: Comparison of data using t-test showed that BCVA significantly improved after the vision therapy period. Initial BCVA (Log MAR) was 0.37±0.04 (mean±standard deviation) which improved to 0.14±0.03 after treatment. The correlation between initial BCVA and the amount of improvement showed that the worse the pre-treatment visual acuity was, the greater improvement that occurred. Conclusion: The improvement of visual acuity in adult anisometropic amblyopes showed that there are some degrees of plasticity in the visual system of amblyopic patients even in adulthood. Thus, therapists should give the chance of treatment to adult amblyopes.