Apple iPad games for kids now have health benefits. Well, this is not about every game on the device, but about one specific game which is reportedly treating kids with amblyopia, or lazy eye. This specially designed iPad game is likely to improve vision for those suffering from the condition.
Researchers at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, Dallas conducted a study with 28 kids, aged 4 to 10, who showed improvements in vision after having played the game for two weeks only. These kids showed more improvement than those who received traditional treatment for amblyopia. The traditional treatment requires kids to wear a patch on their weaker eye.
Children were asked to undergo the iPad treatment or opt for the traditional treatment with an eye patch. In the game, kids need to control gold miners. The idea is to bring pieces of gold to cart in the fastest way possible. There are obstacles, like monsters, which stop them from achieving the goal. The game requires kids to wear special glasses with green and red lenses, similar to what is used for 3D glasses.
According to study author Krista Kelly, each eye sees separate game elements. The postdoctoral fellow with the Crystal Charity Ball Pediatric Vision Evaluation Center said the stronger eye is able to see reduced-contrast elements. The weaker eye, on the other hand, could see high-contrast elements. During the process, the game forces the weaker eye to match the stronger eye's capabilities.
According to the findings, using both eyes may be more effective than wearing patches, CBS News reported. Around 3% kids in the United States suffer from lazy eye, which means one of their eyes does not have effective vision. It fails to match the other eye and often wander sidewise.
Even though most kids showed improvement in the research, it is not necessary that iPad games for kids work all the time. Especially in this case, some kids had their lazy eye back soon after the treatment, Live Science reported. One of the iPad games for kids that may have managed to help cure amblyopia is called "Dig Rush."
