 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New hope is on the horizon for the six million Americans suffering from amblyopia, or a lazy eye.
New research shows the brain regions responsible for vision are much more capable of adapting in adults than previously thought. Until recently, successful treatment of amblyopia was only an option if the condition was detected by age 12. Now a certain treatment technique seems to be making a positive impact even in older patients.
Text Continues Below
Researchers at the McGill University Vision Research Department of Ophthalmology in Montreal found that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive treatment that places a handheld coil against the scalp that delivers magnetic pulses, was successful in improving eye function in older patients with amblyopia. They found 15 minutes of rTMS therapy improved contrast sensitivity in patients' amblyopic eyes for a period of at least 30 minutes.
"The main message here is to show that there really is plasticity in the adult visual system. There is real momentum now to find a treatment for adult amblyopia," Dr. Benjamin Thompson, researcher at McGill University, was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Biology, published online July 17, 2008
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Lindsay Braun at lbraun@ivanhoe.com.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
|
.gif)
