Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have designed an interactive program that can help sufferers of partial vision loss (hemianopia), which is caused by damage to the visual pathways in the brain after a stroke.

The Neuro-Eye Therapy (NeET) uses a medical device called the Vision Rehabilitation Program to repeatedly stimulate blind areas of vision using on-screen patterns.

Dr Arash Sahraie, University of Aberdeen, explained: “The basic principles behind Neuro-Eye Therapy are similar to those of physiotherapy following a stroke. If muscles are affected following a brain injury, patients are asked to repeat a pattern of limb movements in order to improve their mobility.

“In the same way, after daily use of the Vision Rehabilitation Program over a six month period, patients have reported an improvement in their sight as well as a range of other benefits, including being able to get about more easily, both inside and outside their homes, and finding reading much less of a struggle.”

Dr Sahraie continued: “The device used in Neuro-Eye Therapy is simple to set up in the home or office and requires no prior expertise or experience of computer use.

“The daily task involves looking at a computer screen and deciding whether or not an image is presented within the blind area by pressing a button. Initially patients can only guess whether the image was presented, but over time patients experience an improvement in their vision.”