Recovery from monocular stimulus deprivation amblyopia in the kitten.

A review of experimental studies on recovery from monocular stimulus deprivation amblyopia in the kitten is presented. Physiologic, anatomic, and behavioral results are reported for two kinds of recovery experiments: (1) those in which reverse deprivation is employed and (2) those utilizing a recovery period of binocular vision. Data from these investigations are discussed in relation to current thinking regarding the role of synaptic competition during the development of the visual system. The conclusions drawn from these experimental studies of monocular deprivation suggest a possible approach to the treatment of human amblyopia.