Abstract
Purpose :
The purpose of this study was to determine if Virtual Reality head mount device (VR) could be used to present asynchronous binocular visual stimulation for the treatment of children with anisometropic amblyopia (ChiCTR2200055848).
Methods :
Thirty-eight children, 4 to 9 years of age, with anisometropic amblyopia with a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the amblyopic eye before treatment between 0.2-1.0 logMAR were randomly assigned to receive occlusion only, occlusion + VR, or VR-only treatment. Children in control group was the same cohort in the preceding study who received occlusion only treatment. The present study also assessed real-world outcomes from forty-six children, 4 to 13 years of age, with amblyopia who received VR based asynchronous binocular movie therapy.
Results :
Compared to the control condition, both occlusion + VR and VR-only treatment groups reached the criterion acuity for successful treatment (0.2 logMAR, Snellen 20/32). The results for the two treatment groups suggests that VR-only treatment had superior performance to occlusion + VR. The benefits of asynchronous conditioning accumulate over twenty 45-min sessions, and are maintained for at least 1 year. The real-world study showed that VR based asynchronous movie therapy demonstrated sustained BCVA improvements in different age groups.
Conclusions :
The present study suggests that 20 hours or so of occlusion + VR or VR-only treatment, over the course of eight weeks, can produce a substantial and persistent improvement of visual acuity, considerably superior to the effects of substantially longer occlusion therapy. A larger-sample, double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial is warranted to confirm the effects of binocular asynchronous visual treatment for amblyopia.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.