Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented Reality

Abstract Neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders are often associated with selective deficits in the parallel pathways of the human visual system. Effective intervention of the visual deficits is crucial for improving treatment outcomes and prognosis. In this study, a novel altered realit...

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Main Authors: Yige Gao, Yulian Zhou, Qing He, Wen Wen, Peng Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-06-01
Series:Advanced Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202415877
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author Yige Gao
Yulian Zhou
Qing He
Wen Wen
Peng Zhang
author_facet Yige Gao
Yulian Zhou
Qing He
Wen Wen
Peng Zhang
author_sort Yige Gao
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders are often associated with selective deficits in the parallel pathways of the human visual system. Effective intervention of the visual deficits is crucial for improving treatment outcomes and prognosis. In this study, a novel altered reality (AR) method is developed to improve pathway‐specific functions in human adults with normal vision and amblyopia, a common developmental vision disorder. To selectively enhance the parvocellular pathway, which is notably impaired in amblyopia, the low spatial frequency (SF) components of visual input are phase‐scrambled into fast‐flickering noise, while the high SF details remained intact. In normal participants, short‐term adaptation to this altered naturalistic environment led to selective enhancement of high SF sensitivity and visual acuity. Long‐term adaptation to a dichoptically modified environment produced long‐lasting improvement of high SF sensitivity and dominance of the weaker eye, with enhanced neural responses to high SF naturalistic stimuli. After one week of training with wearable AR glasses at home, amblyopic adults showed high treatment compliance and significant gains in visual acuity and dominance of the amblyopic eye, as well as in stereopsis. This AR‐based, pathway‐specific training method can be effective for improving visual functions in both healthy adults and patients with visual disorders.
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spelling doaj-art-b60b1df12bfd4cf5bdf2b8f0d997d8782025-08-20T02:32:26ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442025-06-011221n/an/a10.1002/advs.202415877Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented RealityYige Gao0Yulian Zhou1Qing He2Wen Wen3Peng Zhang4State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science Institute of Biophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 ChinaDepartment of Ophthalmology & Visual Science Eye & ENT Hospital Shanghai Medical College Fudan University Shanghai 200031 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science Institute of Biophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 ChinaDepartment of Ophthalmology & Visual Science Eye & ENT Hospital Shanghai Medical College Fudan University Shanghai 200031 ChinaState Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science Institute of Biophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101 ChinaAbstract Neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders are often associated with selective deficits in the parallel pathways of the human visual system. Effective intervention of the visual deficits is crucial for improving treatment outcomes and prognosis. In this study, a novel altered reality (AR) method is developed to improve pathway‐specific functions in human adults with normal vision and amblyopia, a common developmental vision disorder. To selectively enhance the parvocellular pathway, which is notably impaired in amblyopia, the low spatial frequency (SF) components of visual input are phase‐scrambled into fast‐flickering noise, while the high SF details remained intact. In normal participants, short‐term adaptation to this altered naturalistic environment led to selective enhancement of high SF sensitivity and visual acuity. Long‐term adaptation to a dichoptically modified environment produced long‐lasting improvement of high SF sensitivity and dominance of the weaker eye, with enhanced neural responses to high SF naturalistic stimuli. After one week of training with wearable AR glasses at home, amblyopic adults showed high treatment compliance and significant gains in visual acuity and dominance of the amblyopic eye, as well as in stereopsis. This AR‐based, pathway‐specific training method can be effective for improving visual functions in both healthy adults and patients with visual disorders.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202415877adaptationamblyopiaaugmented realitymagnocellular and parvocellular pathwaysvisual disordersvisual training
spellingShingle Yige Gao
Yulian Zhou
Qing He
Wen Wen
Peng Zhang
Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented Reality
Advanced Science
adaptation
amblyopia
augmented reality
magnocellular and parvocellular pathways
visual disorders
visual training
title Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented Reality
title_full Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented Reality
title_fullStr Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented Reality
title_full_unstemmed Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented Reality
title_short Improving Adult Vision Through Pathway‐Specific Training in Augmented Reality
title_sort improving adult vision through pathway specific training in augmented reality
topic adaptation
amblyopia
augmented reality
magnocellular and parvocellular pathways
visual disorders
visual training
url https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202415877
work_keys_str_mv AT yigegao improvingadultvisionthroughpathwayspecifictraininginaugmentedreality
AT yulianzhou improvingadultvisionthroughpathwayspecifictraininginaugmentedreality
AT qinghe improvingadultvisionthroughpathwayspecifictraininginaugmentedreality
AT wenwen improvingadultvisionthroughpathwayspecifictraininginaugmentedreality
AT pengzhang improvingadultvisionthroughpathwayspecifictraininginaugmentedreality