Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov 3;120(44):747-753.
doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2023.0191.

Computer-Assisted Visual Training in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Visual Disorders

Christine Schmucker  1 , Eberhard Thörel, Magdalena Flatscher-Thöni, Dorothea Sow, Anne Göhner, Verena Stühlinger, Nikolai Mühlberger, Wolf A Lagrèze, Jörg Meerpohl
Affiliations

Computer-Assisted Visual Training in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Visual Disorders

Christine Schmucker et al. Dtsch Arztebl Int. .

Abstract

Background: In this systematic review, we address the question whether children and adolescents with developmental visual disorders benefit from computer-assisted visual training.

Methods: Systematic literature searches were carried out in three bibliographic databases (initial search in October 2021) and trial registries. Included were randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of computer-assisted visual training in children and adolescents with developmental visual disorders in comparison to no training, sham training, or conservative treatment.

Results: The inclusion criteria were met by 17 trials (with a total of 1323 children and adolescents) focusing on binocular or monocular computer-assisted visual training for the treatment of amblyopia. In these trials, visual training was carried out for 2 to 24 weeks, either as "stand alone" therapy or in addition to occlusion therapy. Six trials showed a statistically significant difference in favor of the visual training for the outcome "best corrected visual acuity of the amblyopic eye." However, this difference was small and mostly below the threshold of clinical relevance of -0.05 logMAR (equivalent to an improvement of 0.5 lines on the eye chart, or 2.5 letters per line). Only few data were available for the outcomes "binocular vision" and "adverse events"; the differences between the groups were similarly small.

Conclusion: The currently available data do not permit any firm conclusions regarding the efficacy of visual training in children and adolescents with amblyopia. Moreover, treatment adherence was often insufficient and the treatment durations in the trials was relatively short. No results from randomized trials have yet been published with respect to other developmental visual disorders (refractive errors, strabismus).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Study selection according to the PRISMA flow diagram PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Hashemi H, Pakzad R, Yekta A, et al. Global and regional estimates of prevalence of amblyopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Strabismus. 2018;26:168–183. - PubMed
    1. van Leeuwen R, Eijkemans MJC, Vingerling JR, Hofman A, de Jong PTVM, Simonsz HJ. Risk of bilateral visual impairment in individuals with amblyopia: the Rotterdam study. Br J Ophthalmol. 2007;91:1450–1451. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pieh C, Fronius M, Chopovska Y, et al. [“Fragebogen zum Kindlichen Sehvermögen (FKS)“. Assessment of quality of life with the German version of the Children‘s Visual Function Questionnaire] Ophthalmologe. 2009;106:420–426. - PubMed
    1. Fronius M, Cirina L, Ackermann H, Kohnen T, Diehl CM. Efficiency of electronically monitored amblyopia treatment between 5 and 16 years of age: new insight into declining susceptibility of the visual system. Vision Res. 2014;103:11–19. - PubMed
    1. Levi DM, Li RW. Perceptual learning as a potential treatment for amblyopia: a mini-review. Vision Res. 2009;49:2535–2549. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types