Depositphotos / Sony PlayStation VR
Japanese researchers have developed a VR game that can potentially improve vision
Scientists from Kwansei Gakuin University gathered a small group of participants for an initial research. They played in VR for six weeks — and showed positive results. To do this, they chose a simple target shooting game that they created in Unity specifically for the Meta Quest 2 headset.
The game mechanics are built around eye training. The player sees three tracks with round targets, each of which stands on a stick. Pressing a button on the controller activates a virtual laser, which turns on the aiming mode when pointed at the lane. In the center of each target is a symbol in the form of a Landolt C — ring, a black ring with a gap, which is traditionally used in Japan to test eyesight. To hit the target accurately, the player must move the joystick in the direction indicated by this gap.
An important point — during a VR game, the player constantly switches focus between targets at different distances. This is what makes the cilia work eye muscles responsible for focusing. It is their training, according to the authors of the experiment, that helps improve vision.
After each session, the user saw arcade-style results on the screen: how many targets they hit, how many they missed, what combinations they made, and whether they managed to beat the previous record. The study involved 10 young people aged 22 to 36. All of them showed an improvement in their vision as a result of the experiment. For people with more severe myopia (myopia), the growth was closely related to the frequency of the game — the more often they played, the better their vision became.
The authors of the study emphasize that these data are not yet sufficient to consider VR games a therapeutic tool. The preliminary results look promising, but larger tests are needed. The team plans to continue their work and conduct new experiments to test the effectiveness of this approach in the long run.
Source: IGN