Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.
Centro di Ateneo dei Servizi Clinici Universitari Psicologici (SCUP), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2022;40(3):137-168. doi: 10.3233/RNN-221261.
Vision is the sense which we rely on the most to interact with the environment and its integrity is fundamental for the quality of our life. However, around the globe, more than 1 billion people are affected by debilitating vision deficits. Therefore, finding a way to treat (or mitigate) them successfully is necessary.
This narrative review aims to examine options for innovative treatment of visual disorders (retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, optic neuropathy, refractory disorders, hemianopia, amblyopia), especially with Perceptual Learning (PL) and Electrical Stimulation (ES).
ES and PL can enhance visual abilities in clinical populations, inducing plastic changes. We describe the experimental set-ups and discuss the results of studies using ES or PL or their combination in order to suggest, based on literature, which treatment is the best option for each clinical condition.
Positive results were obtained using ES and PL to enhance visual functions. For example, repetitive transorbital Alternating Current Stimulation (rtACS) appeared as the most effective treatment for pre-chiasmatic disorders such as optic neuropathy. A combination of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and visual training seems helpful for people with hemianopia, while transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) makes visual training more efficient in people with amblyopia and mild myopia.
This narrative review highlights the effect of different ES montages and PL in the treatment of visual disorders. Furthermore, new options for treatment are suggested. It is noteworthy to mention that, in some cases, unclear results emerged and others need to be more deeply investigated.
视觉是我们与环境互动时最依赖的感觉，其完整性是我们生活质量的基础。然而，在全球范围内，有超过 10 亿人受到严重视力缺陷的影响。因此，找到成功治疗（或缓解）这些问题的方法是必要的。
本综述旨在探讨创新性治疗视觉障碍的方法（色素性视网膜炎、黄斑变性、视神经病变、难治性疾病、偏盲、弱视），特别是使用感知学习（PL）和电刺激（ES）。
ES 和 PL 可以增强临床人群的视觉能力，诱导可塑性变化。我们描述了实验设置，并讨论了使用 ES 或 PL 或它们的组合进行的研究结果，以便根据文献建议针对每种临床情况哪种治疗方法是最佳选择。
使用 ES 和 PL 增强视觉功能可以获得积极的结果。例如，重复经颅交流电刺激（rtACS）似乎是对视神经病变等视交叉前疾病最有效的治疗方法。经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）和视觉训练的组合对偏盲患者有帮助，而经颅随机噪声刺激（tRNS）使视觉训练对弱视和轻度近视患者更有效。
本综述强调了不同 ES 模式和 PL 在治疗视觉障碍中的作用。此外，还提出了新的治疗选择。值得注意的是，在某些情况下，结果并不明确，其他情况需要更深入地研究。
