Amblyopia – standard or modern therapy

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, amblyopia and associated uncorrected refractive errors are the most common causes of visual disorders. Amblyopia is defined as the reduction of the best-corrected visual acuity in one or, less frequently, in both eyes. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in childhood and results in the discontinuation of normal cortical visual pathways. Until recently, it was believed that due to the lack of sufficient plasticity of the central nervous system in adults, amblyopia is incurable after the end of the critical period, i.e. around 7 years of age. However, recent research results undermined this view, revealing underestimated recovery potential even in adulthood. Traditional methods of amblyopia treatment include correction of refractive errors and stimulation of the visually impaired eye by covering the dominant eye, most often by obturation or pharmacological penalisation with atropine. Preliminary results of research on modern methods of therapy, such as video games, perceptual learning or dichoptic training, provide opportunities not only to improve visual acuity, but also to relieve other visual deficiencies associated with ambliopia, such as reduced sensitivity to contrast or spatial vision.