Dr. Edward Kondrot: I am Dr. Edward Kondrot and I've got some exciting news, Biofeedback to improve the vision with macular degeneration, is that possible? And what this machine does?
It kind of maps your retinal sensitivity. So patients with macular degeneration may have a scotoma or a scar where their vision is blocked. Many patients with macular degeneration tell me, doctor, I got this blind spot in the center and if I could just move out over to the side, I'll be able to read and use that new area, and this machine does exactly that.
It's really exciting, because the study had showed that after ten treatments of around ten minutes each, patients had over 300% improvement of their acuity, they were able to read much better. In fact the average improvement of reading was about 28 words per minute, and also they measured their central fixation was much better.
Robert Greene: Hi! I am Robert Greene, Dr. Kondrot's patient. I've been working now with the MP-1 for six separate lessons. So far it's been the most enlightening treatment that I've had here because for one it showed me really what I was up against in dealing with the blind spot in my left retina. So we've been able to retrain already my brain to much better function and work around that blind spot.
I now can read fluently across the lines following them. And also like, I can now just with my left eye, I can actually speed-read down a column in the newspaper. With the left eye I was almost, could not read hardly at all with the left eye.
Male Speaker: So you went from not being able to read at all with the left eye, now to being able to speed-read?
Robert Greene: Yeah, exactly.
Male Speaker: That's pretty remarkable.
Robert Greene: Right. It is indeed, it's the most enlightening thing so far.
Dr. Edward Kondrot: Okay, this is a shot of his retinal map, and this part here indicates where Mr. Greene was fixating, and it was rather a poor unproductive area of his retina, and what we are doing is retraining him to look down in that area. And since we are using Biofeedback and since we are retraining him to use that particular locus, he is now able to function much more efficiently.
This photograph shows the improvement of the fixation in this particular area here. So we transfer to fixation away from this area of his previous central fixation, but unfortunately he has a small macular scar there, and even though the brain has been trained to use that area, it's not productive. So now we are focusing, we are shifting to focus away outside the scar and his visual acuity, reading ability and fixation has dramatically improved.
Robert Greene: Another improvement that I'm experiencing is that my coordination between the two eyes now is improving on a daily basis. So when I am driving, I no longer have the left eye fighting the right eye and looking and focusing on the road in front of me.
Male Speaker: And how about, you do a lot of hiking and what was that, affected your ability?
Robert Greene: Well, backpacking has always been something I've pursued all my life and my ability to step with confidence is returning.
Dr. Edward Kondrot: And here we see a patient undergoing an MP-1 microperimeter biofeedback session, the patient looks into essentially black space and the technician directs the patient to gaze in different directions and there is an auditory tone. Once the patient looks in the proper direction there will be an audio feedback which indicates that he is now looking in the new focus, the part of the retina which will give him much better acuity.
We can hear the sound right now, look away Robert, when he looks away there is no auditory feedback. Now look at the new area of focus. So this auditory feedback helps train the brain and the eye to coordinate, to begin utilization of this new area.
This is a map that the technician can visualize to determine if he is properly fixating in the new focus and there it is right there and picked it up. Again, good focus.
So we are pleased to announce that due to the generosity of the Restore Vision Foundation, we will be conducting this study and the Vision Foundation is going to be funding all expenses for this particular program for ten patients.
So if you do have macular degeneration and you are interested and seeing if you qualify for this study, please give our office a call. The area code is 623-516-0010.
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