Perceptual learning to reduce crowding effects in visually impaired children

Children with visual impairment show stronger crowding than children with normal vision; they have more difficulty identifying a suprathreshold object in the presence of clutter. Children with visual impairment also show a lag in their reading skills and longer visual search times than age-matched peers with normal vision. Recent studies demonstrate the potential prospects of perceptual learning to improve visual functions. However, it is still unclear which mechanisms are responsible for these improvements.

The main objective of this study is to determine whether perceptual learning can reduce crowding in children with visual impairment. In addition, the study aims to extent our understandings about the mechanisms that underlie crowding and perceptual learning. In order to do so, the effect of training on oculomotor, sensory and cognitive aspects will be evaluated separately.

-Perceptual learning can reduce foveal crowding in children with albinism and idiopathic infantile nystagmus

N.A.

A computerized perceptual learning training will be used to reduce crowding in children with visual impairment. Children in the experimental group train with target letters surrounded by distrators and children in the control group train with isolated letters.