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Effects of grating stimulation on vision in individuals with amblyopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effects of Cambridge Stimulator with grating element stimulation on visual acuity (VA), grating acuity (GA), and contrast sensitivity (CS) in patients with amblyopia.

Methods

Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) were searched for studies published from January 1970 to November 2022. The searched studies were reviewed and extracted independently by two authors. The included studies were evaluated by the Cochrane risk of bias. A meta-analysis calculating Hedges’ g effect-size metric with 95% confidence intervals using random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model was employed. Heterogeneity was estimated using I2 statistics. Outcomes of interest included VA, GA, and CS.

Results

A total of 1221 studies were identified. Twenty-four studies including 900 subjects met the inclusion criteria. The outcome measure of all visual indexes (VA: Hedges’ g of − 0.43, 95% CI =  − 0.81 to − 0.05, I2 = 86%, p = 0.02; GA: Hedges’ g of 3.79, 95% CI = 1.05 to 6.54, I2 = 98%, p = 0.01; CS: Hedges’ g of 0.64, 95% CI = 0.19 to 1.09, I2 = 41%, p = 0.00) significantly favored in the grating group.

Conclusions

Grating stimulation may be a positive help for visual functions in patients with amblyopia. The effects of grating stimulation on VA and CS appear to be opposite. This study is registered with www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ (CRD42022366259).

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Data availability

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary materials; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author/s.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Therapy, Shu-Zen Junior College of Medicine and Management, Kaohsiung City, 821, Taiwan

    Wen-Hsiu Yeh & Ya-Ju Ju

  2. Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, 701, Taiwan

    Ya-Ju Ju

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, 220, Taiwan

    Tzu-Han Hsieh

  4. Department of Medical Science Industries, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, 711, Taiwan

    Yu-Ting Liu

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All authors were involved in the supply of the materials. W.-H.Y., Y.-J.J., and T.-H.H. were involved in project administration, study conceptualization, data curation, and data interpretation. W.-H.Y. and Y.-J.J. wrote the first draft of the manuscript and conducted data collection and analysis. W.-H.Y., Y.-J.J., and T.-H.H. screened the literature and evaluated the study quality. W.-H.Y., T.-H.H., and Y.-T.L. proofread the manuscript. All authors conducted critical revision and approved the final version for publication.

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Correspondence to Wen-Hsiu Yeh.

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Yeh, WH., Ju, YJ., Hsieh, TH. et al. Effects of grating stimulation on vision in individuals with amblyopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 262, 395–410 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-023-06142-w

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