Accommodation and pupil responses to random-dot stereograms

Stimuli Characteristics and Psychophysical Requirements for Visual Training in Amblyopia: A Narrative Review

Active vision therapy using perceptual learning and/or dichoptic or binocular environments has shown its potential effectiveness in amblyopia, but some doubts remain about the type of stimuli and the mode and sequence of presentation that should be used. A search was performed in PubMed, obtaining 143 articles with information related to the stimuli used in amblyopia rehabilitation, as well as to the neural mechanisms implied in such therapeutic process. Visual deficits in amblyopia and their neural mechanisms associated are revised, including visual acuity loss, contrast sensitivity reduction and stereopsis impairment. Likewise, the most appropriate stimuli according to the literature that should be used for an efficient rehabilitation of the amblyopic eye are described in detail, including optotypes, Gabor’s patches, random-dot stimuli and Vernier’s stimuli. Finally, the properties of these stimuli that can be modified during the visual training are discussed, as well as the psychophysical method of their presentation and the type of environment used (perceptual learning, dichoptic stimulation or virtual reality). Vision therapy using all these revised concepts can be an effective option for treating amblyopia or accelerating the treatment period when combining with patching. It is essential to adapt the stimuli to the patient’s individual features in both monocular and binocular training.

Near reading speed changes after panretinal photocoagulation in diabetic retinopathy patients: a prospective study using an iPad application for the measurement of reading speed

PURPOSE

To investigate the changes in the near reading speed after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in diabetic retinopathy patients.

METHODS

This non-randomized, prospective, clinical study enrolled diabetic retinopathy patients who underwent PRP from January 2016 to June 2017. The near reading speed was measured before and 1 week, 1 month, and 4 months after PRP by using an iPad application for the assessment of reading speed; near best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) were also analyzed. The reading speed of age-matched healthy individuals was compared with that of diabetic retinopathy patients.

RESULTS

Forty-seven patients were enrolled in this study. The baseline near reading speed of diabetic retinopathy patients was significantly slower than that of age-matched healthy controls. The near reading speed was reduced at 1 week after PRP, but recovered at 1 and 4 months after PRP. Near BCVA showed a similar pattern after PRP. SFCT increased at 1 week after PRP and significantly decreased at both 1 and 4 months after PRP.

CONCLUSION

The near reading speed of diabetic patients was significantly slower than that of age-matched healthy controls. The speed was temporarily reduced at 1 week after PRP, potentially due to short-term impairment of parasympathetic nerve innervation.