In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a new safe and effective tool for neurorehabilitation of different childhood and adulthood conditions. VR-based therapies can induce cortical reorganization and promote the activation of different neuronal connections over a wide range of ages, leading to contrasted improvements in motor and functional skills. The use of VR for the visual rehabilitation in amblyopia has been investigated in the last years, with the potential of using serious games combining perceptual learning and dichoptic stimulation. This combination of technologies allows the clinician to measure, treat, and control changes in interocular suppression, which is one of the factors leading to cortical alterations in amblyopia. Several clinical researches on this issue have been conducted, showing the potential of promoting visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and stereopsis improvement. Indeed, several systems have been evaluated for amblyopia treatment including the use of different commercially available types of head mounted displays (HMDs). These HMDs are mostly well tolerated by patients during short exposures and do not cause significant long-term side effects, although their use has been occasionally associated with some visual discomfort and other complications in certain types of subjects. More studies are needed to confirm these promising therapies in controlled randomized clinical trials, with special emphasis on the definition of the most adequate planning for obtaining an effective recovery of the visual and binocular function.
#2Liu Lin Thio(WashU: Washington University in St. Louis)H-Index: 1
This review assesses the risk of a photic-induced seizure in a child during viewing of 3D (binocular 3 dimensional, stereoscopic) movies or games, either on standard video displays or when wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset. Studies published by pediatric epilepsy experts emphasize the low risk of 3D viewing even for children with known photosensitive epilepsy (PSE). The low incidence of PSE is noteworthy because the number of hours devoted to 2D or 3D screen viewing and/or VR headset use by...
#2Paul Foeller(St. Louis Children's Hospital)H-Index: 1
Abstract Purpose To assess the safety of VR 3D Headset (virtual reality three-dimensional binocular-stereoscopic near-eye display) use in young children. Product safety warnings that accompany VR Headsets ban their use in children under age 13 years. Design Prospective, interventional, before-and-after study. Methods Recordings were obtained in 50 children (29 boys) age 4 -10 yr (mean 7.2 ± 1.8 yr). Minimum binocular corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 20/50 (logMAR 0.4) and stereoacuity...
Objective: the objective of this review is to analyze the advances in the field of rehabilitation through virtual reality, while taking into account non-immersive systems, as evidence have them shown to be highly accepted by older people, due to the lowest “cibersikness” symptomatology. Data sources: a systematic review of the literature was conducted in June 2019. The data were collected from Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, and PubMed databases, analyzing manuscripts and articles of the last 10 years...
Abstract Virtual reality (VR) simulations provide increased feelings of presence and agency that could allow increased skill improvement during VR training. Direct relationships between active agency in VR and skill improvement have previously not been investigated. This study examined the relationship between (a) presence and agency, and (b) presence and skills improvement, via active and passive VR simulations and through measuring real-world golf-putting skill. Participants (n = 23) completed...
Abstract Objective Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can cause seizures in healthy individuals and patients. However, the rate at which this occurs is unknown. We estimated the risk of seizure and other adverse events with TMS. Methods We surveyed laboratories and clinics about seizures and other events observed between 2012 and 2016 (inclusive). Respondents (N = 174) reported an estimated 318,560 TMS sessions. Results Twenty-four seizures were reported (.08/1000 sessions). TMS delivered w...
Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating neurodegenerative disease with lesions involving the central nervous system. Clinical symptoms consist of disturbances in motor activity (e.g., weakness, spasticity, and tremor), sensory functioning (e.g., pain), visual functions (e.g., diplopia and optic neuritis), besides different cognitive (attention deficit and executive dysfunction) and behavioral abnormalities. This review aims to evaluate the role of VR tools in cognitive and motor reha...
Jul 1, 2019 in EMBC (International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society)
#1Luis K. Cepeda-Zapata(Tec: Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education)H-Index: 1
#2Fabian O. Romero-Soto(Tec: Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education)H-Index: 1
Last. Luz Maria Alonso-Valerdi(Tec: Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education)H-Index: 3
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In order to propose alternative treatments for strabismus, conventional visual therapies implemented in VR, which could be rendered in portable devices for pediatric strabismus treatment is proposed in this paper. In comparison with other virtual environments for visual correction proposes, the proposed system is based on conventional visual therapies for amblyopia and strabismus treatment. Three fundamental visual therapeutic exercises were considered in the present proposal: (1) Brock cord, (2...
Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically review the effect of virtual reality on balance as compared to conventional therapy alone poststroke. Methods: The databases of PubMed, Cochrane, and Ovid were searched using select keywords. The randomized controlled trials published between January 2000 and August 2017 in English language were included if they assessed the effect of virtual reality on balance ability compared to conventional therapy alone in adults’ poststro...
Abstract Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can causes numerous cognitive impairments usually in the aspects of problem-solving, executive function, memory, and attention. Several studies has suggested that rehabilitation treatment interventions can be effective in treating cognitive symptoms of brain injury. Virtual reality (VR) technology potential as a useful tool for the assessment and rehabilitation of cognitive processes. Objectives The aims of present systematic review are to examine...
#2Carine Khalil(Paris V: Paris Descartes University)H-Index: 6
Last. Brennan M.R. Spiegel(UCLA: University of California, Los Angeles)H-Index: 73
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BACKGROUND: Therapeutic virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an efficacious treatment modality for a wide range of health conditions. However, despite encouraging outcomes from early stage research, a consensus for the best way to develop and evaluate VR treatments within a scientific framework is needed. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop a methodological framework with input from an international working group in order to guide the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and communication...
The authors of this study evaluated the potential benefit on visual performance of a novel 3 week visual rehabilitation program based on the use of Gabor patches in patients undergoing bilateral cataract surgery with the implantation of two models of trifocal diffractive intraocular lens (IOL). A total of 30 patients were randomly assigned to two groups: a study group (15 patients) that used a videogame based on Gabor patches and a placebo group (15 patients) that used a videogame without specif...
A case of an adult with anisometropic amblyopia who underwent a successful vision therapy program playing videogames in a virtual reality environment is described, reporting changes in conventional visual clinical data, as well as in brain activity. The patient was a 22 year old man on baseline examination that never previously wore correction for his anisometropia. After prescribing contact lens correction for the anisometropia and after 44 h of virtual reality-based vision therapy over a perio...
A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate preliminarily the efficacy of perceptual learning (PL) visual training in medium-term follow-up with a specific software (Amblyopia iNET, Home Therapy Systems Inc., Gold Canyon, AZ, USA) for visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) recovering in a sample of 14 moderate to severe amblyopic subjects with a previously unsuccessful outcome or failure with patching (PL Group). This efficacy was compared with that achieved in a patching control g...
Last. Eric D. Gaier(Picower Institute for Learning and Memory)H-Index: 14
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Traditional therapies to treat amblyopia, such as optical correction or occlusion/penalization of the non-amblyopic eye, are efficacious but are not without limitations such as poor adherence and d...
Background: A case study is proposed to empirically test and discuss the eye-tracking status-quo hardware capabilities and limitations of an off-the-shelf virtual reality (VR) headset with embedded eye-tracking for at-home ready-to-go online usability in ophthalmology applications. Methods: The eye-tracking status-quo data quality of the HTC Vive Pro Eye is investigated with novel testing specific to objective online VR perimetry. Testing was done across a wide visual field of the head-mounted-d...
Active vision therapy using perceptual learning and/or dichoptic or binocular environments has shown its potential effectiveness in amblyopia, but some doubts remain about the type of stimuli and the mode and sequence of presentation that should be used. A search was performed in PubMed, obtaining 143 articles with information related to the stimuli used in amblyopia rehabilitation, as well as to the neural mechanisms implied in such therapeutic process. Visual deficits in amblyopia and their ne...
Neuroplasticity is a complex physiological process occurring in the brain for its entire life. However, it is of particular importance in the case of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Neurological recovery largely depends on the ability to reestablish the structural and functional organization of neurovascular networks, which must be pharmacologically supported. For this reason, new forms of therapy are constantly being sought. Including adjuvant therapies in standard treatment may support...
