Amblyopia is a developmental visual disorder,which is accompanied by physiological changes in the visual cortex.Many studies that focused on the treatments of amblyopia and improvment of therapeutic effects in teenagers and adults have been paid more and more attention.Recent studies reveal that a threshold level of neurotransmitters,such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA),norepinephrine (NE),acetylcholine,5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine,is required to open the critical period.Meanwhile,the content of specific extracellular matrix,such as extracellular protease tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and cross-linked chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs),exhibits dynamic changes over the time course of the critical period,which plays a key role in synaptic modifications.Clinical studies show that suppression and deficits in visual attention towards signal from the amblyopia eye may be important factors in physiological mechanism of amblyopia,which support a basis for non-invasive brain stimulation and perceptual learning as new effective treatments.This paper described the recent advances in plasticity of visual cortex and binocular vision in the field of amplyopia treatment,especially in teenagers and adults.

Background::Visual inputs are critical for locomotor navigation and sensorimotor integration in the elderly; however, the mechanism needs to be explored intensively. The present study assessed the gait pattern after cataract surgery to investigate the effects of visual restoration on locomotion.Methods::The prospective study recruited 32 patients (70.1 ± 5.2 years) with bilateral age-related cataracts in the Department of Ophthalmology at Peking University Third Hospital from October 2016 to December 2019. The temporal-spatial gait parameters and kinematic parameters were measured by the Footscan system and inertial measurement units. Paired t-test was employed to compare data normally distributed and Wilcoxon rank-sum test for non-normally distributed. Results::After visual restoration, the walking speed increased by 9.3% (1.19 ± 0.40 m/s vs. 1.09 ± 0.34 m/s, P=0.008) and exhibited an efficient gait pattern with significant decrease in gait cycle (1.02 ± 0.08 s vs. 1.04 ± 0.07 s, P=0.012), stance time (0.66 ± 0.06 s vs. 0.68 ± 0.06 s, P=0.045), and single support time (0.36 ± 0.03 s vs. 0.37 ± 0.02 s, P=0.011). High amplitude of joint motion was detected in the sagittal plane in the left hip (37.6° ± 5.3° vs. 35.5° ± 6.2°, P=0.014), left thigh (38.0° ± 5.2° vs. 36.4° ± 5.8°, P=0.026), left shank (71.9° ± 5.7° vs. 70.1° ± 5.6°, P=0.031), and right knee (59.1° ± 4.8° vs. 56.4° ± 4.8°, P=0.001). The motor symmetry of thigh improved from 8.35 ± 5.30% to 6.30 ± 4.73% ( P=0.042). Conclusions::The accelerated gait in response to visual restoration is characterized by decreased stance time and increased range of joint motion. Training programs for improving muscle strength of lower extremities might be helpful to facilitate the adaptation to these changes in gait.