Benefits of Explorative Saccade Training in Patients with Advanced Glaucomatous Visual Field Defects-A Randomized,...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Advanced glaucoma causes visual field defects, impacting patient mobility and quality of life (QoL).
• Bilateral overlapping scotomas affecting at least one visual field quadrant present significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of exploratory saccade training (EST) in patients with advanced glaucoma.
• To assess the impact of EST on reaction time, reading speed, and QoL.

Main Methods:

• 27 patients with advanced glaucoma were randomized into an EST group or a control group.
• The control group initially underwent placebo reading training (PRT) before EST.
• Both training methods involved 6 weeks of home-based training, with outcomes measured by reaction time (RT) and reading speed (RS).

Main Results:

• EST led to significant improvements in RT during training and a natural search task, indicating real-world transfer.
• Reading training significantly improved RS to normal levels.
• QoL, particularly mobility, improved significantly in the EST group, with greater improvements seen in patients with inferior field defects.

Conclusions:

• EST is an effective home-based rehabilitation method for advanced glaucoma, improving daily living task reaction times.
• Reading training enhances reading speed on screens and printed text.
• EST can serve as a valuable supplement to standard glaucoma treatment.