Childrens' vision-testing device could catch problems

According to figures reported by the University of Tennessee, even though 85 percent of a child’s learning is vision-related, about 80 percent of American children have never had their eyes tested before starting kindergarten.

Even when tests are performed, they are usually only capable of detecting no more than a couple of conditions.

Unfortunately, this means that vision-related learning disabilities such as dyslexia can be missed, and may not be noticed until they are well established.

Now, however, researchers at U Tennessee’s Space Institute have developed a new type of vision-testing system for young children, that could catch a variety of vision problems while they’re still reversible.

The device, known as the Dynamic Ocular Evaluation System (DOES), is reportedly inexpensive, kid-friendly, and only takes about a minute to learn how to use.

It was invented by Ying-Ling Ann Chen, a research assistant professor in physics. She was assisted by Lei Shi, a post-doctoral research associate in laser application, and Jim Lewis, a professor emeritus in physics.

"Vision screening is important at an early age to detect several different causes of vision disorders," said Chen.

"The few children that do get screened today aren't being screened adequately. For instance, many current screening methods do one eye at a time and studies show young eyes will accommodate significantly, and this causes inaccurate results."

Children using DOES simply sit and watch a three-minute cartoon, or play a computer game. No scary eye dilation is necessary, nor are any verbal responses from the child - this point is particularly important, as children taking eye tests are sometimes simply too young to know what their vision should be like, so what they tell clinicians can be misleading.

As the cartoon begins, a three-second procedure uses infra-red light to assess the child's ocular alignment, and checks for binocular refractive risks, high-order aberrations, ocular scattering, and significant neural problems.

This is followed by dynamic tests for less significant signs of abnormal ocular alignment, neural responses, and amblyopia (lazy eye).


The researchers plan on adding more tests, that would use the child's vision to check for mental problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and dyslexia.

All of the data and images are digitally recorded, and can be sent electronically to specialists if needed.

Chen and her U Tennessee colleagues hope that DOES could someday become a standard piece of equipment in pediatrician's offices.

"By not testing our youth, we are potentially missing the window for effective treatment for a lot of conditions," she stated.

Video Games: A Cure for Lazy Eye - Amblyopia

At the American Academy of Opthalmology's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, a team led by Somen Ghosh of the Micro Surgical Eye Clinic in Kolkata, India, reported that video game therapy improved the visual acuity of 10- to 18-year-olds with amblyopia, or "lazy eye".

This comes hot on the heels of similar findings from a study of adults with the condition, published in PLoS Biology by a team led by Roger Li and Dennis Levi of the University of California, Berkeley.

Even more impressive results may be on the horizon, as video games are combined with another approach, known as "perceptual learning".

Amblyopia occurs when the neural connections from one eye to the brain fail to develop normally. Over time, the brain reacts by ignoring the blurry input from this "weaker" eye.

The condition can be treated in childhood by patching the good eye and using visual training exercises to build the faulty neural connections - but the dogma has until recently been that little can be done after about the age of nine.

The idea of using video games stemmed from the discovery that expert gamers have unusually strong visual skills.

Subsequent studies have shown that action games can improve contrast sensitivity in people with normal vision.

Ghosh's studies involved children and teenagers with amblyopia who received the standard treatment of patch, eyeglasses and visual exercises, with or without supplementary treatments.

Even the group given just the basic treatment showed some improvement after one year - but those who were also instructed to play first-person shooter or driving games each day did noticeably better.



In adults, some of the best results in treating amblyopia have not used computer games, but instead trained people to distinguish blurry grey patterns known as Gabor patches.

In 2004, a team led by Uri Polat of Tel Aviv University showed that this perceptual learning resulted in two-fold improvements to sufferers' contrast sensitivity.

But even Polat, who has recently applied a similar approach to treating the natural deterioration in close vision that happens with age, concedes that the exercises are a bit boring for teens.

So what about combining perceptual learning with gaming? That's now being tried by Levi's lab, in collaboration with a team led by Daphne Bavelier of the University of Rochester in New York.

The researchers have embedded Gabor patches into a modified version of the first-person shooter Unreal Tournament, which they are now testing as a treatment for amblyopia.

"You have to shoot at the patches," Bavelier explains. "If you don't they transform into nasty bots that are really difficult to kill.

Dyslexia is not a problem of Vision or Opthalmology

Below is an Abstract from a scientific paper in the US Journal of Pediatrics.

This article discusses at length the possible causes and effects of Dyslexia in children and in particular, it explores the argument that vision and the use of eye exercises can improve the condition.

ABSTRACT
Learning disabilities, including reading disabilities, are commonly diagnosed in children. Their etiologies are multifactorial, reflecting genetic influences and dysfunction of brain systems.

Learning disabilities are complex problems that require complex solutions. Early recognition and referral to qualified educational professionals for evidence-based evaluations and treatments seem necessary to achieve the best possible outcome.

Most experts believe that dyslexia is a language-based disorder. Vision problems can interfere with the process of learning; however, vision problems are not the cause of primary dyslexia or learning disabilities.

Scientific evidence does not support the efficacy of eye exercises, behavioral vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses for improving the long-term educational performance in these complex pediatric neurocognitive conditions.

Diagnostic and treatment approaches that lack scientific evidence of efficacy, including eye exercises, behavioual vision therapy, or special tinted filters or lenses, are not endorsed and should not be recommended.

The full article can be found here ..........