New iPad Amblyopia Treatment is a “Hot Topic”

Krista Kelly, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow in the Crystal Charity Ball Pediatric Vision Laboratory, presented a study that was selected by the Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Program Committee as a “Hot Topic” this year. Dr. Kelly was selected based on her outstanding abstract on binocular treatment for amblyopia (‘lazy eye’). This distinction is awarded to just over 2% of all 2016 Annual Meeting abstracts.

The standard treatment for amblyopia is monocular patching of the dominant eye to allow the amblyopic eye to get stronger. However, this treatment does not always restore 20/20 vision. Patching does not help the two eyes work together and often results in low compliance from the child.

Dr. Kelly is working with children with amblyopia on “training” both eyes to work together by playing binocular iPad games at home while wearing special glasses that rebalance the contrast between the two eyes. The amblyopic eye gradually becomes stronger, allowing the child to use binocular vision to play the game. Our research on binocular iPad games has demonstrated that this more engaging approach is effective in treating amblyopia and is likely superior to patching. Dr. Kelly’s research is supported by the Thrasher Research Fund and the National Eye Institute.

Dr. Kelly presented her research findings at ARVO in Seattle, Washington on Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Her “Hot Topic” presentation led to a press interview and video. See the video below.