We tested the hypothesis that five daily sessions of visual cortex transcranial random noise stimulation would improve contrast sensitivity, crowded and uncrowded visual acuity in adults with amblyopia. Nineteen adults with amblyopia (44.2 ± 14.9 years, 10 female) were randomly allocated to active or sham tRNS of the visual cortex (active, n = 9; sham, n = 10). Sixteen participants completed the study (n = 8 per group). tRNS was delivered for 25 min across five consecutive days. Monocular contrast sensitivity, uncrowded and crowded visual acuity were measured before, during, 5 min and 30 min post stimulation on each day. Active tRNS significantly improved contrast sensitivity and uncrowded visual acuity for both amblyopic and fellow eyes whereas sham stimulation had no effect. An analysis of the day by day effects revealed large within session improvements on day 1 for the active group that waned across subsequent days. No long-lasting (multi-day) improvements were observed for contrast sensitivity, however a long-lasting improvement in amblyopic eye uncrowded visual acuity was observed for the active group. This improvement remained at 28 day follow up. However, between-group differences in baseline uncrowded visual acuity complicate the interpretation of this effect. No effect of tRNS was observed for amblyopic eye crowded visual acuity. In agreement with previous non-invasive brain stimulation studies using different techniques, tRNS induced short-term contrast sensitivity improvements in adult amblyopic eyes, however, repeated sessions of tRNS did not lead to enhanced or long-lasting effects for the majority of outcome measures.

Purpose:We tested the hypothesis that five daily sessions of visual cortex transcranial random noise stimulation would improve contrast sensitivity, crowded and uncrowded visual acuity in adults with amblyopia.Methods: Nineteen adults with amblyopia (44.2 ± 14.9yrs, 10 female) were randomly allocated to active or sham tRNS of the visual cortex (active, n = 9; sham, n = 10). tRNS was delivered for 25 minutes across five consecutive days. Monocular contrast sensitivity, uncrowded and crowded visual acuity were measured before, during, 5 minutes and 30 minutes post stimulation on each day. Results:Active tRNS significantly improved contrast sensitivity for both amblyopic and fellow eyes whereas sham stimulation had no effect. An analysis of the day by day effects revealed large within session improvements on day 1 for the active group that waned across subsequent days. No long-lasting changes in baseline contrast sensitivity were observed in the active group.The uncrowded visual acuity measurements followed the same trend, but differences in baseline uncrowded visual acuity between the two groups prevent definitive conclusions. No effect of tRNS was observed for crowded visual acuity. Conclusions:In agreement with previous non-invasive brain stimulation studies using different techniques, tRNS induced short-term contrast sensitivity improvements in adult amblyopic eyes, and the effects may extend to uncrowded visual acuity. However, multiple sessions of tRNS did not lead to enhanced or long-lasting effects. Multi-modal approaches to adult amblyopia treatment that combine non-invasive brain stimulation with other interventions may be required to induce long lasting improvements in visual function.