PInfluences of long-term adaptation on ocular dominance plasticity

National Natural Science Foundation of China

PI：Min Bao

The project relies on a novel methodology we developed, “altered-reality system”, to study the influences of long-term visual adaptation on human ocular dominance. Specifically, during adaptation, each eye’s input signals are manipulated electronically through real-time image process, allowing the participants’ ocular dominance to change as they go about everyday activities. Using this system, one of our recent studies has suggested that the strength of the deprived eye is boosted following monocular deprivation of Fourier phase regularity information. In another work, we developed a novel approach to rebalance the perceptual ocular dominance in normal adults who were not diagnosed with amblyopia, and to improve the vision in adults with amblyopia. The visual displays in neither work can be implemented with traditional methods using optical devices, and both work has disclosed interesting new findings that are worthy of further investigations in the current project. The project incorporates the augmented-reality technique into vision research to resolve challenging issues for traditional approaches. It will not only help deepen the understanding of the mechanisms for visual plasticity but also bridge the gap between fundmental research and clinical applications.