Eye therapy

A new computer-based therapy for stroke victims who have suffered partial vision loss has been developed by Scottish scientists.

The researchers at Aberdeen University designed the interactive computer program to help sufferers of partial vision loss (hemianopia), which is caused by damage to the visual pathways in the brain after a stroke.

Their Neuro-Eye Therapy (NeET) system uses a Vision Rehabilitation Program to repeatedly stimulate blind areas of vision using on-screen patterns.

Clinical trials have shown that the benefits of the treatment include improved detection of moving/flickering objects in the blind areas, increased navigation skills and increased concentration span.

Dr Arash Sahraie, a reader in visual neuroscience at the university, explained that the basic principles behind NeET are similar to those of physiotherapy following a stroke. ’If muscles are affected following brain injury, patients are asked to repeat a pattern of limb movements in order to improve their mobility,’ he said.

’In the same way, after daily use of the Vision Rehabilitation Program over a six-month period, patients have reported an improvement in their sight, as well as a range of other benefits, including being able to get about more easily, both inside and outside their homes, and finding reading much less of a struggle.’