Dichoptic Amblyopia Treatment via Gaze-Free Image Degradation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for amblyopia, such as monocular penalization, are invasive and do not effectively prevent brain degeneration in the amblyopic eye, while dichoptic treatments relying on eye trackers are complex and costly, limiting their accessibility for widespread use.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive dichoptic treatment method and device that concurrently displays different variants of an image to each eye using a computer-associated electronic display screen, degrading the image for the sighting eye without referencing gaze direction, to reduce suppression and enhance visual performance in the amblyopic eye.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If monocular penalization is used to treat amblyopia, then the amblyopic eye is forced to be used, but the treatment is invasive and does not effectively prevent brain degeneration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/invasive approach of monocular penalization (patching or atropine) with a non-invasive optical system. The treatment uses a display device that presents different images to each eye through optical means (glasses with filters or a head-mounted display), eliminating the need for physical occlusion or chemical intervention while achieving the same goal of forcing amblyopic eye usage.
2Reliability
If dichoptic treatments with eye trackers are used, then suppression is reduced and visual performance is enhanced, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the eye tracker component from the dichoptic treatment system. Instead of using complex eye tracking technology to monitor and adjust image presentation, the system uses fixed degradation levels applied to the sighting eye's image. This extraction of the eye tracker simplifies the device while maintaining the core therapeutic mechanism of presenting different images to each eye.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, complex eye tracking hardware with a simpler, more affordable display system. The treatment uses standard display technology combined with simple optical filters or a basic head-mounted display, making the treatment more accessible and cost-effective while eliminating the need for sophisticated sensors and processing systems.
3Reliability
If dichoptic treatments with eye trackers are used, then suppression is reduced and visual performance is enhanced, but the treatment cost and accessibility decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive eye tracking hardware with a simpler, more affordable display system. The treatment uses standard display technology combined with simple optical filters or a basic head-mounted display, making the treatment more accessible and cost-effective while eliminating the need for sophisticated sensors and processing systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal treatment system that can be implemented using common display devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) combined with simple optical components. This multi-functional approach allows the same therapeutic principle to be delivered through various platforms, increasing accessibility and reducing the need for specialized, expensive equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are methods and devices suitable for the dichoptic treatment of amblyopia, that in some embodiments comprise concurrently dichoptically displaying two different variants of a received image on a display screen so that each one of the two different variants is visible to only one eye of a subject, an amblyopic-eye image to the amblyopic-eye of a subject and a sighting-eye image to the sighting-eye of a subject, wherein prior to displaying a sighting-eye image, preparing the sighting-eye image for display from a received image by degrading at least a portion of the received image to yield the sighting-eye image having a degraded area which location is determined without reference to a determined gaze direction of a sighting-eye and/or of an amblyopic-eye of a subject.