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Interventions in adulthood can improve binocular vision disorders
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Patients with childhood binocular disorders may be able to achieve stereopsis with intervention in adulthood, according to researchers in Optometry & Vision Science.
Researchers polled patients who gained stereopsis as adults via online questionnaire to learn their initial binocular disorders, the length of time they were stereodeficient, effective treatments and the nature of their recovered stereovision.
Out of the 63 respondents, 56 (89%) reported strabismus and/or amblyopia, and 55 (87%) indicated that they had been stereodeficient for as long as they could remember. All but seven participants (89%) achieved stereovision through vision training or a combination of surgery and vision training, with many reporting vivid visual changes, according to researchers.
Treatments in adulthood that resulted in stereovision included vision therapy with an optometrist (41), self-guided therapy (11), orthoptics with an orthoptist (4), surgery (4) and watching a 3-D movie (3).
Only four respondents achieved stereovision from surgery alone. Twenty participants had undergone surgeries as children or adults prior to the time of their nonsurgical treatments, and 13 reported that the operations cosmetically straightened their eyes in a stable manner.
Stereopsis was achieved from age 15 to 79 years in the patient population with an average of 44.1 years.
Three respondents indicated that they saw with stereopsis only when they concentrated on aligning their eyes. An additional three indicated that they were aware of stereopsis only while viewing objects or scenes with prominent depth such as hanging tree limbs or falling leaves or while watching 3-D movies.
Two additional respondents saw with stereopsis only in particular directions of gaze, while four respondents reported that their ability to see in 3-D varied with levels of fatigue, lighting conditions or the consistency with which they practiced their vision therapy procedures, according to the study.
“For some, stereopsis emerged fleetingly at first, then stabilized and deepened, but three described a sudden onset of stereopsis while driving, walking the dog, or teaching a class,” researchers wrote.
Only three respondents reported negative impacts of stereopsis, while 22 respondents enjoyed their first 3-D experiences, the researchers concluded.
“The most consistent and striking result from the questionnaire involved the length of time that our responders were stereodeficient,” the researchers concluded. “Eighty-seven percent of responders indicated that they had been stereodeficient for as long as they could remember.” – by Abigail Sutton
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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