Using Video Games to Improve Depth Perception

In an Ohio State University study presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, scientists created video games that add an important element of fun to the repetitive training needed to improve vision in people — including adults — with a lazy eye or poor depth perception. The training tools, including a Pac-Man-style “cat and mouse” game and a “search for oddball” game, produced results in pilot testing. In two adult research participants, whose vision was 20/25 and 20/63 at the start of the study, weak-eye vision later improved to 20/20 and 20/50 respectively. Unlike the common use of eye patches on dominant eyes to help make lazy eyes stronger, this type of testing uses a “push-pull” method by making both eyes work during the training. Using a patch is considered push-only training because the dominant eye remains completely unused. With the push-pull method, both eyes are stimulated, with the weaker eye exposed to more complex images that create a stronger stimulus. This technique targets important pathways in the brain that must be active to produce balanced vision. To read more about this study, click here.