Sight Science

Q&A

Eligibility

What is NeET?
Neuro-Eye Therapy (NeET) uses a medical device, the Vision Rehabilitation ProgramCE designed to help those who have suffered partial blindness as a result of brain injury, most often following a stroke.

What is the Visual Rehabilitation Program?
An interactive, computer based, vision training task which is designed specifically for you following assesment of your visual field.

What is NeET used to treat?
Visual field loss as a result of stroke or other brain injury.
Examples of such deficits include:
Hemianopia- Decreased or lost vision on one half of the visual field
Quadrantanopia- Decreased or lost vision in one quarter of the visual field.
Scotoma- An area of diminished vision within the visual field.

Who is eligible for therapy?
Once we have received your visual field assessments, which can be easily done at most opticians, we will be able to assess your suitability.
The therapy involves flashing stimuli and therefore will not be appropriate for those who suffer from photo-sensitive epilepsy. In addition, those with severe cognitive impairment may have difficulty complying with instructions for the therapy.

Does it matter where I live?

Currently we are able to provide the therapy to anyone living within the EU. Your location of residence does not matter since we assess suitability and provide support throughout the therapy remotely.

How long after my injury can I start the therapy?
The most appropriate time for starting the therapy is not known. However, previous research has shown that improved vision can occur in patients as early as 6 months and as late as 37 years post-stroke. As with all rehabilitation approaches, it is probable that early intervention leads to a quicker recovery.

Procedure

How do I start my Visual Rehabilitation Programme?
If suitable for the therapy a Visual Rehabilitation ProgramCE is designed for you. We then supply the necessary equipment for you to complete therapy sessions at home.

How will I access the Program?
We supply you with your own computer laptop which you set up at home or in your office. Your Visual Rehabilitation Program is installed on this computer. Completion of daily sessions requires no prior expertise or experience of computer use.

How many times a day do I have to complete a session?
Each session takes approximately 25 minutes once or twice daily for a minimum of 5 days per week.

How much does the therapy cost?
Currently you can pay for the therapy in a number of instalments or in one go. The price of NeET is dependent on your current location of residence. For more information on this please contact our office directly. The price includes setting up the program, monitoring the progress, support throughout the therapy and feedback in the form of regular reports.

How will I be kept informed about my progress?
At monthly intervals we ask you to return your data to us so that we can monitor your progress and adjust the program as we see necessary. During your sessions the software will automatically adjust the visual patterns presented to maximise improvement. We will also provide you with regular reports so that you can receive feedback on your performance. During your entire therapy duration we will provide support and feedback on your performance.

Benefits & Risks

What is the success rate of NeET?
It is important to note that the site and extent of brain damage are different in each case and therefore improvement cannot be guaranteed. However 76% of those who have used or are using NeET have reported many improvements in daily activities including navigation skills, reading, visual attention and confidence. Approximately a third of those using the therapy observe enough improvement to continue with a further 6 months.

How much vision will I regain?
This is difficult to say as each case is unique. However, most people who have undergone the 6 month therapy period have been able to detect the visual stimuli used in training, anything from 1° to 10° into the affected field of vision. However, due to variability between people, we cannot guarantee any improvement in your vision.

Are there any side effects of NeET?
NeET is non invasive and therefore should not cause any unwanted side effect.

Will I be able to get my driving licence back if I use the therapy?

The issue of driving is an emotive issue for many of those losing their sight after brain injury. In order for you to regain your driving licence you will need to satisfy all driving requirements in your country. The extent of improvements following the therapy are variable in different people, although 76% of those undergoing Neuro-Eye Therapy have reported significant improvements in their activities in daily living, only 10% of those using the therapy have so far improved enough to return to driving. For that reason, we cannot guarantee that following Neuro-Eye Therapy you will experience improvements that will allow you to regain your licence.