Visual rehabilitation in patients with myopic maculopathy: our experience.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of the MP-1 microperimeter (Nidek Technologies Srl, Padova, Italy) and Visual Pathfinder (LACE Inc) in improving visual function of patients with myopic maculopathy.

DESIGN

Prospective, nonrandomized, interventional case series.

PARTICIPANTS

Seventeen patients (34 eyes) between 36 and 58 years of age with myopic maculopathy and central retinal scotomas.

METHODS

After a complete eye examination, all patients underwent 10 training sessions with MP-1 biofeedback (7 minutes) and Visual Pathfinder (3 minutes) for each eye once a week. Statistical analysis was performed with Student t test. The p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The mean best corrected visual acuity increased from 0.64 ± 0.22 to 0.38 ± 0.20 logMAR at the end of follow-up (p = 0.03); visual-evoked potential P100 amplitude increased from 3.54 ± 1.90 to 6.64 ± 2.91 μV at the end of follow-up (p = 0.04); average retinal sensitivity, calculated in the 12 degrees of the central retina, increased from 6.6 ± 2.6 to 14.6 ± 3.6 dB (p = 0.03). Fixation behaviour in the 2 degrees of the central retina increased from 45% ± 17% to 75% ± 23% (p = 0.04). The bivariate contour ellipse area (95%) increased from 10.34 ± 3.11 to 7.64 ± 2.71 square degrees (p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of acoustic biofeedback training with MP-1 and Visual Pathfinder offers a reasonable improvement of visual function in patients with myopic maculopathy. This method might be considered as a rehabilitative strategy as a "therapeutic option" in these patients for whom most treatments usually do not work.