Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The visual cortex is normally organised so that projections from corresponding retinal locations in both eyes, representing the same visual space, are adjacent in the brain.This arrangement enables direct comparison of information from each eye, helping to identify retinal disparities caused by the subtle differences in perspective between the two eyes, which is crucial for generating our three-dimensional perception of the world.This precise arrangement is easily disturbed if unequal inputs into the eyes occur during the period of high brain plasticity in the early years of life.Two common issues-strabismus (eye misalignment) and anisometropia (unequal refractive power between the eyes)-can lead to the brain actively suppressing input from one eye.This phenomenon, called unilateral amblyopia, is the most common visual disorder in children, with an estimated global prevalence of 99.2 million in 2019. 1 This number is expected to rise to 221.9 million by 2040 1 making amblyopia a major public health concern contributing significantly to healthcare costs in paediatric eye care.
DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.70080
Authors: Frank Antony Proudlock, Irene Gottlob
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,470
Award: G4451974292
OpenAlex ID: W4404897260