[vicsireland] Research finds that Video games can improve vision'
- From: "Ciaran Ferry" <Ciaran.Ferry@xxxxxx>
- To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 10:08:39 +0100
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7967381.stm
Playing action video games can boost an aspect of adult vision
previously thought to be fixed, a US study shows.
Researchers found playing the games improved the ability to notice even
very small changes in shades of grey against a uniform background.
"Contrast sensitivity" is important in situations such as driving at
night, or in conditions of poor visibility.
The Nature Neuroscience study raises the possibility of using a video
game training regime to improve vision.
Contrast sensitivity is often one of the first aspects of vision to be
affected by ageing.
There is some evidence that the visual system can learn
John Sloper
Moorfields Eye Hospital
It can also be affected by conditions such as amblyopia, known as "lazy
eye".
Improving contrast sensitivity usually requires physical changes in eye
optics, through eye surgery, glasses or contact lenses.
A team from the University of Rochester studied expert video game
players playing games involving aiming and shooting at virtual targets.
They found that they had better contrast sensitivity when compared with
players who played non-action video games.
These results were not because people with better contrast sensitivity
were more likely to be action video game players - giving non-video game
players
intensive daily practice in video game playing improved this group's
performance on tests of contrast sensitivity.
Crucially, the improvements in this study were sustained for months or
even years in some cases, suggesting that time spent in front of a
computer screen
is not necessarily harmful for vision, as has sometimes been suggested.
Unpredictable events
Lead researcher Dr Daphne Bavelier said it was likely that several
aspects of playing video games combined to produce the beneficial
effect.
The games immersed players in an environment where they had to be
constantly ready to react to unpredictable events, and where visual
information had to
be responded to instantly in very precise physical ways.
In addition, the mere fact that the games were stimulating and rewarding
should not be overlooked.
Dr Bavelier hopes to make use of the discovery to develop new ways to
treat amblyopia.
The hope is that by using video games researchers can encourage the two
eyes to work together, and restore the stereo vision which is lacking in
people
with a lazy eye.
Professor Gary Rubin, of the University College London Institute of
Ophthalmology, said he was surprised by the findings.
He said other work had shown that it was possible to train people to
improve some aspects of their vision - for instance, to widen the visual
field.
But he said: "Contrast sensitivity is a very basic visual function, and
usually they are more difficult to alter in adulthood.
"This is a small study, showing a small effect, but it was carefully
done, and merits further investigation."
John Sloper, a consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said
other researchers were also examining the potential for using video
games to treat
amblyopia.
He said: "There is some evidence that the visual system can learn."
Ciaran Ferry
Web & e-Services,
ESB ICT Group,
27 Lower Fitzwilliam St,
Dublin 2, Ireland.
Tel: +353-1-(70)27945
Email: Ciaran.Ferry@xxxxxx
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