Action Video Games Improve Vision
Visual Contrast Sensitivity is Increased by Action Video Games
Apr 10, 2009
Contrast sensitivity is a measure of the ability to discern between shades of gray on a uniform background. Such measurements increase our understanding of how we perceive events in the visual world. This ability to discern shades of gray varies between individuals, and can be a limiting factor for certain visual tasks.
Contrast Sensitivity Function and Visual Acuity
The impairment of contrast sensitivity is one of the visual aspects of vision the most affected. It affects aging people and can be amplified by visual disorders like cataract (opacity of the eye) or amblyopia (an indistinct vision also named lazy eye). Because of this, some professional responsibilities, such as pilots and night drivers, requiring excellent visual abilities are hindered and may become difficult to carry out. To date, no cure or treatment has been shown to be really efficient enough to enhance the contrast sensitivity function.
The causes of the contrast sensitivity function impairment are not well known. Several factors , such as the deterioration of the optical quality of the eye and neural parameters, are involved. Today, the standard clinical treatment approaches to improve the contrast sensitivity of impaired patients focused on increasing the optical quality.
A New Study on Contrast Sensitivity Function
A group of researchers, directed by Dr Daphne Bavelier, from the University of Rochester (New York, USA) has recently published a new study entitled: Enhancing the contrast sensitivity function through video game training. In this study the researchers tried to improve the cortical plasticity and thereby the contrast sensitivity function of young patients through action video games. The study was published online in March 2009 in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience.
In their study, the scientists compared two groups of video game players. All players were young-adults. One group was playing a visually complex non-action video game, called the Sims 2 (by Electronic Arts). The second group was playing action video games called Unreal Tournament 2004 and call of Duty 2 (by Atari and Infinity War, respectively).
Action Video Games Improve the Contrast Sensitivity Function
A group of patients that played the action video games during an intensive period (50 hr in 9 weeks) improved up to 58% their visual contrast sensitivity function. The scientists also showed a relative long lasting effect of video game on the contrast sensitivity of players. The visual improvement remained after several months.
Action Video Games Can Be Beneficial to the Visual Acuity
This is an impressive result that has never been obtained in other sorts of clinical contrast sensitivity training. In contrary to the general though that video game are detrimental to visual health of players this study also show for the first time that a well selected action video game can be beneficial to the visual acuity of young adults. It would also be very interesting to know if a similar effect can be obtain on older patients.
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