Bynocs

Menú
Login

Can lazy eye be treated in adults? The answer is, Yes!

There are a lot of concerns around amblyopia treatment in adults. Whilst some problems are quite genuine—some are just misleading! The fundamental issue is that adults don’t grow! This means although the body makes constant repairs for daily wear & tear, it doesn’t always make adaptive changes to its core systems.

Now, this is a very generalized fact that often accounts for notions such as—it is challenging to learn something new as an adult, or it is difficult to cure chronic illnesses in adults.

But, this generalized fact—is a half-truth—a lame means to establish the multifaceted reality of amblyopia treatment in adults. With modern technology and the right kind of treatment plan, amblyopia is very much treatable in early and peaking adults.

Studies in favor of lazy eye treatment in adults

Procedures like blurring vision therapy, lazy eye exercises, and eye patching were the traditional treatment options for lazy eyes in adults. Unfortunately, they failed to deliver long-lasting results in the majority of the cases. Thanks to technical innovations, in recent years many new technology-dependant therapies have been developed and validated.

A study on Amblyopia treatment of adults with dichoptic training using a VR-based procedure—was conducted on adults, with anisometropic amblyopia, ranging between the ages 17-69 years. The study revealed significant improvements in visual acuity after only 8 sessions (of 40 minutes each.)

Another study observed the effectiveness of a novel, custom-made, action video game based on dichoptic therapy in treating anisometropic and strabismic amblyopia. The results concluded that game training was more effective (especially in strabismic amblyopia) in recovering visual acuity than supervised patching.

The genuine concerns around lazy eye treatment in adults

It is true, that, traditional treatment options like patching, corrective lenses, and lazy eye exercises often fail to yield a permanent cure for amblyopia in adults. But, why?

  • The brain has already compensated for the weaker eye: The brain is able to adapt to visual deprivation during childhood and may have already developed ways to compensate for the weaker eye.
  • Reduced plasticity of the brain: The brain is less plastic in adulthood, meaning that it is less able to change and adapt to new inputs. This makes it more challenging to “rewire” the brain to improve vision in the weaker eye.
  • Reduced treatment motivation: With adult patients, compliance with treatment can be a major issue, since they are not necessarily as motivated as children to follow through with the treatment plans and protocols.
  • Limited treatment options: There are relatively fewer treatment options available for amblyopia in adults as compared to children. Such as virtual reality which shows improvement but it is not widely accessible.

 

Having addressed the real issues, let’s take a look at how the dichoptic theory-based video game therapies work their way around the above-mentioned complications and offer greater effectiveness for amblyopia treatment in adults.

Lazy eye can be treated even in adults!

Most cases of amblyopia result from inappropriate binocular interaction (where both eyes need to work together in coordination to form a single 3D view of the world,) that further consequents in inappropriate binocular fusion (where the brain fuses the two slightly different images from both eyes into a single coherent image.) So here, there are two issues at play—first, the weak eye fails to produce a clear and worthy image, and second, the brain develops the habit of prioritizing the image received from the stronger eye during the fusion. In adults, this issue can be easily addressed by a combination of vision therapy procedures and dichoptic therapy-based video games. Depending on the severity of the issue, corrective lenses may also be prescribed. A multi-pronged treatment plan will train and rehabilitate the weaker eye—as well as—trigger brain plasticity for re-prioritizing the signals from the weaker eye. Note: A major concern in many cases of adult amblyopia, is that it might be a little too late for an already developed adult brain to re-prioritize. However, recent studies have revealed, that neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to reorganize itself and form new neural connections, is very much possible throughout our adulthood.
 

Dichoptic theory-based video game therapy at Bynocs for Lazy eye treatment in adults

The Dichoptic theory states that both our eyes share a rivalry among themselves. When seeing, both our eyes capture slightly different images in terms of depth, contrast, alignment, and details.  Now for some individuals, when fusing both images (for generating a single coherent image) the brain tends to suppress certain visual stimuli received by one eye, and prioritize the stimuli received by the other eye.  Over time, this competition continues and one eye gets repeatedly prioritized over the other—for those certain stimuli. Eventually, the visual abilities, responsible for the suppressed visual stimuli in the eye that repetitively receives lesser priority from the brain, get impaired or weak. The video games for lazy eye treatment in adults are developed to specifically target such impaired/weak visual abilities. 

How do video games for amblyopia treatment work?

Dichoptic-therapy-based video games are a form of treatment for amblyopia that use video games to provide visual stimulation to the patient. The goal of these games is to strengthen the neural connections between the eye and the brain and help the brain rewire itself to improve the patient’s vision.

Dichoptic therapy is a specific approach that presents different images to each eye, this is a way to force the brain to use both eyes together in a coordinated way, improving the amblyopic eye vision.

These games are typically designed to target specific visual abilities that are impaired in amblyopia, such as stereo-acuity (the ability to see depth), contrast sensitivity (the ability to see details in different lighting conditions), and vernier acuity (the ability to see small details and alignments).

To accomplish this, the games are designed to present different images to each eye, for example, an image for the affected eye, which is the amblyopic eye, and a different image for the non-affected eye. This creates a visual conflict in the brain, forcing it to work harder to fuse the two images together and process the visual information coming from both eyes.

Some common features of dichoptic-therapy-based video games include:

  • The use of special glasses or head-mounted displays that allow each eye to see a different image.
  • The use of game elements that require the patient to use both eyes together, such as puzzles or mazes that require depth perception.
  • The use of visual stimuli that change over time, such as moving objects or shifting backgrounds, to keep the brain engaged and challenged.
  • The use of visual cues or instructions to help guide the patient through the game and teach them how to improve their visual abilities.
  • Adaptive difficulty: As the patient improves, the game increases the level of difficulty, to continue challenging the patient and maximizing their chances of improvement.
  • Tracking and monitoring: The software is typically able to track and monitor the patient’s progress over time, allowing the therapist or doctor to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.
 

Effective Lazy eye treatment for adults at Bynocs

At Bynocs, we develop dichoptic therapy-based video games that can offer customized stimuli, intensity, and frequency for adult patients. Despite the limitations of an adult brain and ocular anatomy, our amblyopia treatments for adults prove effective—because we customize the video game to the point where it precisely focuses on the unique amblyopic conditions of a particular patient.

Why the Bynocs treatment for adult amblyopia is effective?

  • Engagement: Video games are inherently engaging and motivating for people of all ages, which encourages patients to comply with the treatment plan and do the necessary number of hours to see improvement.
  • High level of patient control: Video-game-based vision therapies allow patients to have a high level of control over their treatment. They can adjust the difficulty of the game based on their own progress, which gives them a sense of ownership over their treatment and can help increase motivation.
  • Customization: These therapies are usually tailored to the specific needs of the patient and the type of amblyopia they have. For example, if the patient has a deficit in stereo-acuity, the game will be designed to focus on this specific issue.
  • Repetitive visual stimulus: Video-game-based therapies usually provide repetitive visual stimuli that are intended to strengthen the neural connections between the eye and the brain. These repetitive stimuli are believed to help the brain rewire itself and adapt to the impaired visual input.
  • Adaptive nature: These therapies are adaptive, meaning the difficulty level can be adjusted as the patient makes progress. This allows for a more efficient use of the patient’s time and a higher chance of improvement.

 

We have dedicated eye care professionals to personalize the video-game-based therapies to your unique condition—and determine whether you should be using a combination of other treatments, such as patching and corrective lenses. At Bynocs, we also provide vision therapy software that can be used by your eye care professional to track and monitor your progress. Our revolutionary vision therapy software AmblyGo is a strong example of the new possibilities in eyecare with the support of technology. And, how the concerns around adult amblyopia can be strategically tackled at any age. Get in touch with us to get a personalized training program or learn more about our game-based Amblyopia treatment.