Computer Treatment Study for Amblyopia Reports Success in Older Children and Adults

Jan. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- RevitalVision has proved its success again in a recent Turkish study by improving vision in amblyopic patients through its sophisticated computer “game.”

RevitalVision, an FDA approved home-computer program for the treatment of amblyopia in older children and adults, reported the study showed an increase in vision performance of 50.8% in amblyopic eyes, equivalent to a mean improvement of 2.6 lines on an eye chart after completion of the program.  The results have been accepted for presentation at the 15th Winter Meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) in Istanbul, Turkey, February, 2011.

Amblyopia (or “Lazy Eye”) is essentially a state of miscommunication between the brain and the eyes, resulting in the favoring of one eye over the other, according to the National Eye Institute.

RevitalVision, formerly known as NeuroVision, received FDA approval for the program in 2001.  The study conducted at that time involved a treatment group and a “control” group.  The results indicated the treatment group gained 2.5 lines in their amblyopic eye and those receiving the “control” treatment did not gain any significant improvement in their vision.  The study patients were monitored for 12 months and the gains received by the treatment were maintained. There have been many follow-up studies completed since its approval in 2001 with similar results, the latest in Turkey.

The RevitalVision amblyopia program involves, on average, 40, forty-minute sessions taken on a home computer with an internet connection.  Patients receive treatment by playing an individualized “game” that involves choosing between varied images.  The RevitalVision program is server-based and is an interactive system tailored and continuously adaptive to the patient’s visual abilities.

The building block of the program is the Gabor patch that effectively activates and matches the shape of the receptive field in the visual cortex, thus improving communication between the eyes and the brain.  Nobel Prize winner Dennis Gabor is credited with the development of this design.

The Turkish study involved 53 individuals ranging in age from 8 to 50 years old.  At the conclusion of an average treatment time of 4 months, their best-corrected visual acuity improved an average of 50.8%, equivalent to 2.6 lines on an eye chart.

“We are thrilled with the results of this study and its acceptance at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting,” stated Daniel S. Durrie, MD, Chief Medical Officer of RevitalVision’s Medical Advisory Board.  “Our continuing studies further validate RevitalVision as an effective treatment option for older children and adults who qualify for the program.”

Amblyopia is one of the leading causes of blindness in people under 40 years of age and is estimated to affect 3 to 5% of the world’s population.

RevitalVision is commercially available through certified Ophthalmologists and Optometrists in the U.S. and throughout the world for patients who qualify.  Information can be found at www.revitalvision.com

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RevitalVision is the world’s only clinically and scientifically proven*, non-surgical therapy to improve vision. It increases the communication between your eyes and your brain to help you see better without surgery, drugs or glasses.