Video Games Could Cure "Lazy Eye"

A new study shows that even adult brains have the flexibility to overcome "lazy eye," and suggests using video games as a new method of treatment.

"Lazy eye" or amblyopia affects between 1 and 5 percent of the population and it was previously thought to be only curable during childhood up to the age of nine or so. The new study published in Optometry and Vision Science titled, "Removing the Brakes on Plasticity in the Amblyopic Brain" suggests that adult's brains do exhibit the flexibility needed to correct the neural deficiencies of amblyopia.

Scientists are beginning to acknowledge that the age-old theory that the brain does not change much after adulthood is not completely true. Adult brains do keep growing and forming new connections, allowing for greater neurological treatments later in life.

Amblyopia occurs when the connections between an eye and the brain are not as strong. This results in deteriorating vision. Conventional methods of treatment include patching the healthy eye up in order to make the weak one work harder.

"However, new clinical and experimental studies in both animals and humans provide evidence for neural plasticity beyond the critical period," said Dr. Michael Levi, from University of California, Berkeley and author of the paper.

Repetitive visual tasks help strengthen the eye by forcing it to make the connections over and over again.

"Practicing visual tasks can lead to dramatic and long-lasting improvements in performing them, i.e., practice makes perfect!" explained Dr. Levi.

These tasks, however, can grow boring, and may not be as effective as hoped.

To combat this, Dr. Levi is working with Daphne Bavelier, Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and Jessica Bayliss, Ph.D. to come up with an engaging and fun action video game that might alleviate some of the boredom of these tasks.

In a recent study, the use of video games helped restore three-dimensional stereo vision in adults even after they had gone decades without binocular vision.

"Our author's studies of perceptual learning, and particularly using active video game play, provide evidence for neural plasticity and accompanying treatment success in adults with amblyopia," said, Anthony Adams, editor-in-chief of Optometry and Vision Science.

Watch a video detailing the initial development of the video game for amblyopia patients: