Neuroplasticity as a Proposed Mechanism for the Efficacy of Optometric Vision Therapy & Rehabilitation.

Huang, Julia C.

Optometric vision therapy and rehabilitation have been used to successfully treat a wide range of visual disorders for over 80 years. However, it was not until the past few decades that the scientific basis supporting its efficacy was beginning to be understood. This review article discusses current neuroplasticity concepts, the supporting research, their therapeutic applications in other disciplines, and their implications to optometry. It can be hypothesized that vision therapy techniques strengthen synaptic connections through Hebbian learning and induce cortical reorganization to maximize visual efficiency. This can provide a theoretical basis for the efficacy of vision therapy, while neuroimaging can provide an objective basis.

MEDICAL research; NEUROPLASTICITY; VISUAL training; REHABILITATION; THERAPEUTICS; VISION disorders; HIGHER nervous activity; BRAIN imaging; MEDICAL imaging systems

Journal of Behavioral Optometry, 2009, Vol 20, Issue 4, p95

1045-8395

Academic Journal