The current technique of correcting amblyopia, or ‘lazy eye’, typically involves applying a patch or a drug called atropine to the stronger eye, forcing the person to use their weaker eye. However, the effectiveness of this technique is limited by poor compliance and variable outcomes.Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Dalhouse University, Canada, have discovered a new technique that shows more promise than current amblyopa treatments.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: The treatment does se to be ‘rebooting’ the visual syst of the animals in a way that makes it start paying attention to information received through the previously affected eye. -WHO:Ms Ming-fai Fong, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}This new technique involves tporarily inactivating the retinas using an anesthetic and waiting for th to reactivate, or ‘reboot’.To date the technique has only been tested on animals with amblyopia but it has shown positive results.With researchers finding that once the anesthetic had worn off, visual acuity was restored to the previously affected eye, without any penalty to the stronger eye.Animals undertaking this test were monitored well into adulthood and showed no signs of their amblyopia returning, proving that the treatment can provide permanent results.Ms Ming-fai Fong, lead author of the study’s paper to be published in Proceedings of the National Acady of Sciences, said that the treatment does se to be ‘rebooting’ the visual syst of the animals in a way that makes it start paying attention to information received through the previously affected eye.Currently, researchers are aiming to confirm how long retinal inactivation must be undertaken in order to promote recovery in the affected eye.
Specsavers lassos top comedy director for new marketing campaign
Specsavers has launched a new marketing campaign that harnesses its ‘Should’ve gone’ humour at Australian airports. The campaign was launched...
