Grant: Operating Grant

Amblyopia or lazy eye (incidence 5%) is the greatest single cause of unilateral blindness in the North American adult population. It results from a disruption to normal visual development in childhood. The present therapy of patching is not very effective, has severe psycho-social side effects and is ineffective above age 10yrs. Two recent developments will change the way we think about amblyopia. First, I have shown that the deficit affects predominately extra-striate cortex. Second, I have shown that functions, previously thought to be lost from the brains of amblyopic adults, can be restored using transcranial magnetic stimulation, reflecting adult brain plasticity. The present grant directs itself to obtaining a better understanding of 1. the extra-striate cortical deficit and 2. the extent of functional plasticity in this region of the adult brain. A better understanding of these related issues (i.e. the nature of the loss and its susceptibility to change) is required to develop a new approach to therapy for adults with amblyopia.