COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING FOR THE TREATMENT OF PARTIAL BLINDNESS

Partial blindness after brain injury has been considered non-treatable . To evaluate whether patients with visual-field defects can profit fr om computer-based visual restitution training (VRT), two independent c linical trials were conducted using patients with optic nerve (n = 19) or post-chiasmatic brain injury (n = 19). In post-chiasma patients, V RT led to a significant improvement (29.4%) over baseline in the abili ty to detect visual stimuli; in optic nerve patients, the effects were even more pronounced (73.6% improvement). Visual-field enlargements w ere confirmed by the observation of a visual-field expansion of 4.9 de grees-5.8 degrees of visual angle and improved acuity in optic nerve p atients. Ninety five percent of the VRT-treated patients showed improv ements, 72.2% confirmed visual improvements subjectively. Patients rec eiving a placebo training did not show comparable improvements. In con clusion, VRT with a computer program improves vision in patients with visual-field defects and offers a new, cost-effective therapy for part ial blindness.