Occluding one eye for several hours alters visual experience. Specifically, occluding one eye shifts the balance of ocular dominance to favour the recently deprived eye, which can be measured using binocular rivalry. This ocular dominance shift demonstrates homeostatic neuroplasticity within the visual system and has been explored in detail in younger adults. Here we measure whether the strength and general features of neuroplasticity revealed by monocular patching are maintained in older adults. Thirty younger (18–35 years) and 30 older adults (60–81 years) participated. Binocular rivalry features were measured before and after 2 h of occlusion. Post-patching, perceptual dominance of the non-patched eye decreased (p < .001) in both age groups. The effect of occlusion on all features of binocular rivalry did not significantly differ between groups. The older visual system maintains the ability to rapidly adjust to changes in perceptual experience induced by eye occlusion. This preservation of neuroplasticity suggests that visual training methods designed to improve visual performance based on eye occlusion should maintain effectiveness into older age.

遮挡一只眼睛几个小时会改变视觉体验。具体来说，遮挡一只眼睛会改变眼球优势的平衡，有利于最近被剥夺的眼睛，这可以使用双眼竞争来衡量。这种眼球优势转变表明视觉系统内的稳态神经可塑性，并已在年轻人中进行了详细探索。在这里，我们测量单眼修补所揭示的神经可塑性的强度和一般特征是否在老年人中得以维持。30 名年轻人（18-35 岁）和 30 名老年人（60-81 岁）参加。在闭塞 2 小时之前和之后测量双眼竞争特征。贴片后，未贴片眼的感知优势降低（p <.001) 在两个年龄组中。闭塞对双眼竞争的所有特征的影响在组间没有显着差异。较旧的视觉系统保持快速适应由眼睛遮挡引起的感知体验变化的能力。这种神经可塑性的保留表明，旨在改善基于眼睛遮挡的视觉表现的视觉训练方法应该在老年时保持有效性。