BY: Lynn Kan

DON'T let blurred vision blind you to apparent alternatives to Lasik, contact lenses or spectacles for clearer sight.
Instead, you might like to take a look at two other vision therapy systems available here.

NeuroVision is performed at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and Capitol Optical branches. And its home-use counterpart EyeRelax2 is sold at some Popular bookstores and Guardian and Unity pharmacies.

Both techniques claim to tackle problems like myopia (short-sightedness), amblyopia (lazy eye) and presbyopia ('old flower eye').

But enhancing vision without glasses or surgery is not entirely new. In the early 20th century, the Bates Method - based on easing eye strain to improve vision - was in vogue. It has long since been discredited. Then came pinhole glasses, which are still stocked by pharmacies today. But they, too, have no proven benefits, merely cutting out light and channelling vision more specifically.

EyeRelax2 has been tried by some schoolchildren, concerned parents and educators. Using the toaster-size device is certainly a colourful experience. First, coloured circles go back and forth to work the ciliary muscles. Second, the circles flash like disco lights - accompanied by Richard Clayderman-type music - to stimulate the retina.

There are no overdosage warning tags or schedules to comply with. The only recommendation is to use the device twice a day, with three to four hours between sessions.

Children are said to get results faster, showing an improvement of being able to read an additional one or two lines on an eye chart within one to three months. Adults take twice as long, between three and six months.

A flagship EyeRelax2 store will open at the end of the month in Harbourfront centre, selling not just the device, but accessories that are claimed to enhance the user's experience and results.

But now that everyone is impressed by EyeRelax2, in fact, some say there is no proof it even works.

Professor Donald Tan, director of SNEC and the Singapore Eye Research Institute, says: 'EyeRelax has never published any scientific results or studies and cannot therefore claim any scientific efficacy.'

According to him, EyeRelax2 simply helps people relax their eyes back to their normal distance focus - and does nothing to correct myopia, which occurs as a result of eyeball growth.

Prof Tan gives his vote to NeuroVision, carried at SNEC and Capitol Optical branches. Instead of trying to correct defective optics, NeuroVision attempts to train the brain's visual cortex to process blurred images better. Images are said to get sharper, so a person can see better. There is a stricter regime of 30 sessions to adhere to, and it should be used on alternate days.

You can visit SNEC or Capitol Optical to use the computer programme, or buy the system to use it at home, though you will have to visit an optometrist or opthalmologist every five sessions to check on progress.

Close monitoring and partnership with an opthalmologist or optometrist is a plus, says Capitol Optical optometrist Kenny Woo, who calls it a 'personal trainer' system that usually motivates a person to commit. 'When we see that a patient has been missing treatments, we give them a call to remind them to come in,' he says.

NeuroVision's interface is straightforward and a lot less colourful than Relax2. Participants respond to a series of grey patches that flash, clicking either a left or right mouse key in response to a certain pattern. 'Children with short concentration spans usually find it difficult,' Mr Woo admits.

But despite the more monotonous interface, 1,500 patients have been treated in the US and Singapore, with a low dropout rate of 10 per cent. 'It usually doesn't happen because they pay about $1,000 upfront, and if they stop and restart they pay the amount again,' Mr Woo says.

NeuroVision is not just for the blurry-eyed. People who want 3/6 vision or better night vision are also said to benefit. As such, NeuroVision offers a sports version that is more challenging, with patches that are harder to distinguish.

No side-effects dog either NeuroVision or EyeRelax2. But do they have any 'healing' powers?

Optometrists and opthalmologists using NeuroVision make it clear to patients that it works best for people whose degrees are less than 150. They ensure that patients meet the criteria for different NeuroVision programmes. And with higher-degree patients, success is more limited.

It has to be said that after spending close to $1,000, you may not see an improvement with either system. "In general, visual improvement occurs at least 80-90 per cent of the time, but it depends on the patient's compliance with performing the exercises," says Prof Tan.

EyeRelax2 representatives say the same, pointing out that bad habits like reading too close and reading in dim light affect success.

So how to choose between the two?

According to Prof Tan: "Clients should be careful about wasting money on a system that has no conclusive scientific data that may unfortunately prey on parents' anxiety about their child's myopia."

This article was first published in The Business Times on July 5, 2008.