Visual noise in augmented reality improves vision in age-related macular degeneration

Exudative age-related macular degeneration (eAMD) is a degenerative eye disease of the central retina that results in central vision loss, significantly affecting the daily functioning and quality of life of affected individuals. Although first-line treatments are quite effective in improving vision in eAMD, they are invasive and not suitable or efficacious for everyone. The non-invasive methods to enhance visual acuity (VA) in eAMD, are often limited in scope and burdensome for patients. Stochastic resonance (SR), a phenomenon in which optimal noise improves sensory perception, offers a promising non-invasive strategy with broad clinical potential. In this study, we tested whether visual noise delivered via an augmented reality (AR) headset enhanced binocular VA in binocular eAMD (N = 12) and in healthy individuals (N = 17) via the SR effect. Using a standard clinical letter chart, we observed an immediate improvement in vision, without the need for any training. Improvements were 2.5 letters and 2 letters at optimal noise levels for eAMD and healthy individuals, respectively. These findings demonstrate the potential of noise-based AR as a practical, wearable visual aid for individuals with eAMD or other visual disorders, offering enhancements that may complement or extend the benefits of current first-line treatments.