Monocular Contrast Sensitivity Visual Perceptual Learning Rebalances Adult Amblyopes' Two Eyes

This study investigates the effects of monocular contrast sensitivity visual perceptual learning on binocular visual functions of adults with binocular imbalances.

Sixteen adults with anisometropic amblyopia (mean age, 24.63 ± 3.56 years), 20 adults with myopic anisometropia (mean age, 24.20 ± 1.94 years), and 16 visually normal adults (mean age, 24.88 ± 1.89 years) participated in this study. Each group was evenly divided into training (anisometropic amblyopia, myopic anisometropia, normal training group) and untrained control groups (anisometropic amblyopia controls, myopic anisometropia controls, and normal controls). Training groups underwent 10 days of monocular contrast sensitivity perceptual learning (two-alternative forced-choice contrast detection task at 6 cycles per degree) using the amblyopic or nondominant eye, whereas the control groups received no intervention during the same period. Monocular visual acuity, monocular and binocular contrast sensitivity, and balance point were measured before and after the intervention.

Monocular contrast sensitivity perceptual learning significantly improved both contrast sensitivity and balance point at the trained spatial frequency (6 cycles per degree) in the trained eyes of the anisometropic amblyopia training group and myopic anisometropia training group, with improvements generalizing to nearby untrained spatial frequencies. However, no significant improvements were observed in binocular summation ratios for either group. The normal training group showed modest improvements limited to the trained eye at both trained and neighboring spatial frequencies, without significant binocular or untrained eye benefits.

Monocular contrast sensitivity visual perceptual learning effectively enhances monocular visual performance and positively affects binocular functions across trained and nearby untrained spatial frequencies, indicating its potential clinical usefulness in improving binocular vision among adults with binocular imbalances.