The use of specialized computer games for the treatment of amblyopia in Latvia

Abstract

The classical treatment option for amblyopia in Latvia is occlusions of the non-amblyopic eye. The newest methods involve specialized computer games that involve both eyes in visual processing during the treatment as well as stimulate binocularity. To assess the efficiency of specialized computer games in the treatment of amblyopia in school-age children in Latvia, 237 children (7–18 years old) participated in the experiment, of whom only 22 completed it: 11 participants had occlusion therapy, 11 participants played the specialized dichoptic computer game Tetris®. The visual acuity of the amblyopic eye as well as stereopsis were evaluated at near and far distances before the treatment, 2 months and 4 months after the beginning of the treatment. The results show statistically significant improvement in visual acuity in both treatment groups after four months of therapy. The extent of improvement is similar in both groups. Specialized computer games for amblyopia treatment may be recommended to patients from an age when they are able to use a computer along with a keyboard and computer mouse, who want to improve their visual acuity in the amblyopic eye but are not willing to use occlusions. The only requirement for using specialized games is that the patients need to have binocular single vision. In conclusion, the use of specialized computer games is an alternative type of amblyopia treatment compared to occlusion therapy.

Keywords

• amblyopia
• specialized computer games
• occlusions
• amblyopia treatment
• stereovision.