Goofy gaming goggles + Tetris-like games = a treatment for lazy eye?

That's what eye specialists at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland seem to have discovered, the BBC reports. Amblyopia, otherwise known as "lazy eye," is said to affect three to four in every 100 kids, but these Caledonian researchers have an idea: video games. Well, one video game in particular and special goggles developed by said researchers.

In addition to the goggles designed to stand in for the common eye patches used to treat lazy eye early, the university created a Tetris-like game for patients to play for an hour daily for 10 days. According to the BBC, early tests saw an immediate improvement, like in 10-year-old Calum Stillie. "I realised that I wasn't falling over as much," Stillie told the BBC after the tests. "I could also read things much easier on the board at school and wasn't making so many mistakes in sums."

Here's how it works: Both of the lenses in the goggles display the same image, creating a whole image. However, whichever eye suffers from Amblyopia will be presented with a clearer image than the eye that has no problems. "By forcing, in a way, the child to use both eyes the brain becomes aware of the image in the lazy eye," project leader Dr Anita Simmers told the BBC. "It's as if these cells, which were once dormant, have reactivated and regenerated."

The health benefits of gaming are cropping up everywhere from hand-eye coordination to mental acuity. Effects on eyesight has always been a popular excuse for parents to keep their kids away from video games. But it looks like, sooner or later, mommy will have to resort to the "Because Mommy Said So" clause.

[Via Kotaku]

[Image Credit: BBC]

Has playing video games like Tetris improved your eyesight for anything else, for that matter? Have you tried the "It'll Ruin Your Eyes" excuse on your kids? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.