Abstract
Purpose: :
To describe the results of a new home based rehabilitative treatment performed by the Eyepad device in low vision patients affected by dry age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).
Methods: :
205 patients (115 females; 90 males), with mean age of 68 ± sd 3 years, affected by ARMD, were enrolled in this prospective study and followed-up for a nine-months period, from March 1st, 2010 to November 30th, 2010. The following inclusion criteria were considered to define the study group:1. Patients affected by ARMD showing an instable fixation in both eyes measured by the microperimeter (MP-1, Nidek Technologies, Italy);2. Patients unable to take advantage of the traditional center based rehabilitative treatment.All patients in the study group performed the home based rehabilitative treatment using the Eye-Pad device for thirty minutes a day for a period of nine months. A nonparametric spatial statistical technique was used to stimulate the fixation preferred retinal locus (PRL).
Results: :
A statistically significant improvement, either on finding the fixation preferred retinal locus (PRL) or on word reading, was experienced in all subjects with dry age-related macular degeneration (p<0.05). At the central two degrees the fixation stability task resulted increased from 12 ± sd 1.9 % to 22 ± sd 1.6 % on the post-treatment, meanwhile at the central four degrees, the fixation stability task varied from 45 ± sd 1.8 % to 52 ± sd 1.9 %. (p<0.05). Word reading task, evaluated in words per minute (wpm) was improved as well. We registered about a 65.79% of improvement from time 0 (baseline) to the end of the study.
Conclusions: :
Previous study were focused on the features of the photostimulation rehabilitative treatment for low vision patients affected by ARMD; however, no all low vision patients can benefit from center based rehabilitative treatment either because of the high expenses this treatment requires, or because of lack of specialized expertise in low vision rehabilitation. Improvements achieved in this study on either the fixation stability task or on the word reading task proved significant in the role of the Eye-Pad device for low vision rehabilitation. This innovative device could have significant implications for traditional low-vision rehabilitation, but further large long-term clinical studies are required.
Keywords: low vision • macula/fovea • age-related macular degeneration