Paula García Balaguer

The doctoral candidate Paula García Balaguer, member of the Research Group in Applied Psychophysics (GAP) at the Department of Optics, Optometry, and Vision Sciences of the Faculty of Physics of the University of Valencia, is conducting her doctoral thesis entitled "Development of a psychophysical test for the evaluation of visual pathways in patients with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)" under a project supported by the predoctoral grant FPU22 (Grants for the Training of University Teaching Staff).

In general, psychophysical tests for the evaluation of visual function focus on a single mechanism or allow comparison, with the same task and similar stimuli, of two mechanisms (both chromatic or both achromatic, for example). When comparing M, P, and K, the task is of long duration. Comparisons between diverse mechanisms generally involve the patient learning to perform various different tasks. On the other hand, some patients have special needs due to their pathology. This is the case with ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders according to the WHO, with a prevalence of 5%-8% in childhood, primarily in children, although it persists into adulthood. Long-duration tests and tasks of difficult comprehension, which make it difficult to maintain attention, compromise the reliability of results with these patients. Finally, there is a lack of information about the type and degree of impairment of the visual pathways in these patients or whether treatment results in improvement, as commonly the positive effect of medication is assessed based on increased periods of patient attention or improvement in academic performance, without analyzing possible changes in the visual pathways. Therefore, with the completion of this thesis project, we aim to achieve an inclusive test for the detection and monitoring of pathologies affecting visual pathways, validated in patients with ADHD.

Alba Herrero García

PhD candidate Alba Herrero Gracia, member of the Research Group in Applied Psychophysics (GAP) at the Department of Optics, Optometry, and Vision Sciences of the Faculty of Physics of the University of Valencia, is conducting her doctoral thesis entitled "Characterization of the Visual Function of Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Implementation of a Visual Perceptual Learning Program" under a 2022 Talent Attraction project.

This project is divided into two phases. The first phase involves a comparative study of visual function in patients with Parkinson's Disease and healthy control subjects to properly characterize the visual abilities of the Parkinson's population and understand their limitations. The second phase involves a program of perceptual visual therapy in patients with this disease, aiming to explore potential optometric solutions that could halt or delay the visual deterioration experienced by these patients and/or minimize associated symptoms. To carry out this project, she has collaborated with the Neurology Department of the Arnau de Vilanova-Llíria Hospital and with the Parkinson Valencia Association.