Gains following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial visual acuity.
The goal of the present study was to evaluate the dependence of perceptual learning gains on initial visual acuity (VA), in a large sample of subjects with a wide range of VAs. A large sample of normally sighted and presbyopic subjects (N = 119; aged 40 to 63) with a wide range of uncorrected near visual acuities (VA, -0.12 to 0.8 LogMAR), underwent perceptual learning. Training consisted of detecting briefly presented Gabor stimuli under spatial and temporal masking conditions. Consistent with previous findings, perceptual learning induced a significant improvement in near VA and reading speed under conditions of limited exposure duration. Our results show that the improvements in VA and reading speed observed following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial VA, with only a minor fraction of the observed improvement that may be attributed to the additional sessions performed by those with the worse VA.
GlassesOff, Inc. New York, NY, USA.
Oren
O
Yehezkel
GlassesOff, Inc. New York, NY, USA.|Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer 52621, Israel.
Anna
A
Sterkin
Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer 52621, Israel.
Maria
M
Lev
School of Optometry and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Dennis M
DM
Levi
GlassesOff, Inc. New York, NY, USA.|Goldschleger Eye Research Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer 52621, Israel.|School of Optometry and Visual Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Uri
U
Polat
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011932:Reading; D014792:Visual Acuity