Immersive virtual reality (VR) shows promise as a therapeutic alternative for treating amblyopia in older children who have not responded to traditional treatments like patching, according to a study.
The study demonstrated significant improvements in key visual measures, such as visual acuity, stereopsis, and fusional vergence, after using the NEIVATECH VR system.
This prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm study involved 18 children with amblyopia who had previously received treatment but showed non-compliance or no response to patching. Participants underwent 9 hours of therapy with the NEIVATECH system, delivered in 18 half-hour sessions over the course of 1 month. A comprehensive visual assessment was conducted before and after the intervention, including measurements of best-corrected visual acuity, stereopsis, and fusional vergence at both near and distance.
Both the dominant and non-dominant eyes demonstrated statistically significant improvements in near BCVA (P = 0.022 for each eye). Stereopsis, as measured by the Binocular Function Score, also showed significant improvement (P = 0.045). There were significant improvements in negative fusional vergence for distance vision, with better break (P = 0.012) and recovery (P = 0.009) points.
The system was safe to use, well-received by patients, and provided a positive user experience.
Reference
Leal-Vega L, Coco-Martín MªB, Molina-Martín A, et al. NEIVATECH pilot study: immersive virtual reality training in older amblyopic children with non-compliance or non-response to patching. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):28062. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79565-y. PMID: 39543340; PMCID: PMC11564513.
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