backtop

Print 9 comment(s) - last by rodrigu3.. on Mar 31 at 8:00 PM
Research indicates playing FPS video games could help eyesight

A new research study written by researchers from the University of Rochester indicates gamers who play action video games could increase their eyesight even though medical doctors thought it was highly unlikely.

"Normally, improving contrast sensitivity means getting glasses or eye surgery --somehow changing the optics of the eye," University of Rochester research Daphne Bavelier said.  "But we've found that action video games train the brain to process the existing visual information more efficiently, and the improvements last for months after game play stopped."

The improvements lasted for months -- sometimes years in certain cases -- which effectively nullifies the thought that gaming for too long is actually bad for eyesight.

Contrary to popular belief that video games are harmful for eye sight, first-person shooters help increase  eyesight contrast sensitivity -- the eye's ability to notice slight changes in shades of grey against a background -- and is important for reading, night driving, and numerous other activities.

Contrast sensitivity deteriorates with age, but researchers believe it'll now be possible to create rehab programs to help people increase their eyesight.  In fact, contrast sensitivity is one of the first parts of human vision that is affected by old age.  Participants who played FPS games had better contrast sensitivity when researchers compared them to participants who played other types of games.

The research has been published in the latest edition of Neuroscience.

Although it's unsure why gaming helps, researchers believe there are a couple of different reasons FPS video games help eyesight.  Because the environment is constantly changing, it forces gamers to have their eyes prepared for unpredictable events, along with

Most research into video games is related to possible aggression, but more universities and think tanks are trying to look for positive upsides to gaming.  Specifically, researchers look to see if this can help certain vision problems, and are curious to discover if gaming helps other aspects of vision as well.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
Using makes it better?
By ipay on 3/31/2009 8:41:22 AM , Rating: 5
This research study is full of awesomeness.
Who could have guess that by constantly using some part of the body in some task would improve it?
Just imagine when when professional athletes learn this...

Well, for some mind-blowing reason, mainstream "eye doctors" believe that exercise is good and it improves the physic (as well the mind) but that, somehow, doesn't apply to the eyes.
So, instead of improving the eyes with appropriate exercises, the only solutions are expensive surgery or using glasses (or lens) for the rest of your live.
It's like broking a leg and using a wheelchair forever.

Since i use glasses i know a little about this.
Sometime ago, i went to my eye doctor to do a check up. I said to her that i had started making some eye exercises every morning and she just laugh at my face (with the you-silly-boy expression).
After completing the exams, she was very surprised that, for the first time, my eye sight was actually improving.
It was something about hormones, she said...




RE: Using makes it better?
By ratbert1 on 3/31/2009 9:09:05 AM , Rating: 2
oh yea, just emailed this to wifey. "You see honey, I'm doing this for my health" (pun intended).


RE: Using makes it better?
By rodrigu3 on 3/31/2009 9:16:11 AM , Rating: 5
You, and the article, are ignoring the fact that the eyes barely do any processing. The only processing done in the photoreceptor field and subsequent ganglia (which is in the retina of the eye) is basic off/on processing. The more subtle color contrast and grays are done in the brain (superior colliculus and primary visual cortex). What the article means to say is that after playing FPS games, the brain processes the information more efficiently, which does make sense.

However, actual visual acuity (resolution if you will) is controlled by the shape of the lenses in your eyes. Lens shape is controlled by ciliary muscles in your eyes. These tiny muscles change the shape of the lens to best place the focal point on the retina for objects near or far. The lens tends to harden and become more rigid over time, which is why old people have poorer vision. Also, your ciliary muscles, just like any other muscle in your body, are prone to fatigue and damage, which can be brought on by overuse.

It has been shown that people who put a lot of strain on their ciliary muscles, as in people who do a lot of reading or work with computers, tend to have to wear glasses because their ciliary muscles are incapable of shaping the lens correctly. While their brains may be better suited to process whatever information they are receiving, as hunters may be better suited for objects placed further away, their actual visual acuity is not affected as you say it is.

Reference: http://books.google.com/books?id=j2fiMLFCNEIC&pg=P...


RE: Using makes it better?
By FITCamaro on 3/31/2009 9:47:10 AM , Rating: 2
I know I'm well on my way to being legally blind by the time I'm 40. Yes I read a lot and am on the computer a lot. I don't exactly know it it means but my contacts have a -8 on the box.


RE: Using makes it better?
By ipay on 3/31/2009 10:02:02 AM , Rating: 2
Thank you for your response, you are completly right.

Playing computer games may, actually, reduce eye sight (like reading a book) because the eyes are prepared to look object far away, but they get accustomed to the modern lifestile (tv, books, mobilephone, pc, city surrounded by buildings...).

My point was (and i reckon was a little offtopic with the article) that proper exercise can balance the bad effects that this modern lifestile has in our eyes.

Although glasses are important por specific times, continually using it make de eyes lose the need for recovering the normal shape.


RE: Using makes it better?
By geddarkstorm on 3/31/2009 1:32:12 PM , Rating: 2
The ciliary muscles play a role, but the lens itself plays the biggest role, and increasing rigidity of the lens with age leads to a lot of the vision loss associated with aging. Also, it's currently believed that most vision issues to begin with are related to defects in the overall eye structure, and not anything to do with the ciliary muscles themselves. Moreover, myopia (near-sightedness) that results from ciliary muscle spasms (eye strain, such as from reading too much or being on the computer too long) rather than physical eye-shape defects, isn't something that is believed to cause long term deterioration of eye sight, only for a short time, and can be corrected by letting the ciliary muscles relax (focusing on far off objects, stereograms, and such). There are eye exercises to correct that, and there is some evidence that eye exercises can improve vision somewhat (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15825744 ), but it seems that the majority of vision is controlled genetically by the eye shape.

Improving processing of visual stimulation by the brain is an interesting way to help augment vision, but still, it'll only be able to do so much -- under our current understanding of course.


RE: Using makes it better?
By rodrigu3 on 3/31/2009 8:00:49 PM , Rating: 2
malformations of the eye contribute to congenital myopia or hyperopia - ciliary muscle degradation and lense hardening contribute to age and use-related conditions


By mmcdonalataocdotgov on 3/31/2009 12:48:44 PM , Rating: 2
I think the reason she said hormones is that as we age, the fibers in our lenses (which are bundled so that we look down the length of the fiber) become frayed, so that they don't pass by one another to reconfigure the lens as quickly or as completely as when we are younger. The fibers stick to one another and prevent them gliding past each other. Hormone replacement therapy perhaps might reverse this effect. So she might have referred to hormones since there was a reduction in this aging effect. I don't know your age so couldn't say. In any event, that is not a muscle issue so much as a lens fiber issue, and I am not sure if exercise can reverse this. Also, some people have eye defects that no amount of exercise will cure, like astigmatism (unequal or irregular fiber lengths) or short sightedness (improper lens shape) etc. Glad to hear it worked in your case.


RE: Using makes it better?
By dflynchimp on 3/31/2009 7:34:42 PM , Rating: 2
now if thwapping all day would make my ding dong grow bigger...


"Spreading the rumors, it's very easy because the people who write about Apple want that story, and you can claim its credible because you spoke to someone at Apple." -- Investment guru Jim Cramer









botimage
Copyright 2012 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki