I’m driving down the expressway and my vision becomes blurred. I try to turn my head hoping that my vision will become clearer as I am losing sight of what’s in front of me. About three minutes later, my vision comes back into focus where I can make out what is in front of me. I have a condition called nystagmus and an additional vision impairment called convergence. Nystagmus is a visual processing disorder where the eyes involuntary rapidly shake back and forth causing blurred vision. People, such as me, have a null point where they can turn their head to help bring clarity to their vision, although it does not always work. The vision impairment called convergence insufficiency is when the eyes drift out when doing close work. Both cause eye fatigue, headaches, and limited vision. Convergence insufficiency can be treated through vision therapy, but nystagmus can’t be treated through any method. Due to these conditions, I have limited peripheral vision.
Below: Image of Convergence Insufficiency Common Symptoms
Adam Eichenbaum, Daphine Bavelier, and C. Shawn Green wrote an article called “Video Games: Play That Can Do Serious Good” where they discuss the benefits of video games such as its ability to help reduce declining mental capacities in old age, promotion of job-related skills, and its role as a tool to teach children complex tasks and abilities. Eichenbaum et.al. stated that amblyopia and dyslexia have been reversed through the use of video games. Video games that rely on dual joystick for vision and movement can rehabilitate some vision impairments. In action video games, the player is required to keep track of items simultaneously and need to attend to peripheral vision constantly. Video games improve visual contrast sensitivity which is the ability to see different shades in order to distinguish foreground, middle ground, and background. Crowed acuity, seeing details with distractors, can be improved through video game play. Crowed acuity is related to reading skills because it allows you to see the whole word as opposed to each individual letter. Lastly, video games help with vision attention which is the ability to attend to distinct spatial locations. For example, if you were shown a mix of red and green dots and
then the red dots turned green to match the others, your ability to recognize the location of the newly turned green dots would gauge your vision attention. Video games clearly help in many areas of vision enhancement and in some cases, vision rehabilitation. Perceptual, attentional, and cognitive abilities increase when playing video games.
With an estimation of 5-10% of the population having dyslexia and in some studies higher percentages than that, it is foolish to disregard video game benefits for vision enhancement. People should not have to undergo any type of medical surgery or intense therapy. People can use video games to help retrain their eyes. Students should be encouraged to play video games in moderation to improve their visual skills. After reading “Video Games: Play That Can Do Serious Good”, I began to question if action video games are the vision therapy I need to help with my own visual impairments. I avoided playing video games my whole life due to my poor ability and high levels of competition. Students with an array of vision impairments avoid video games because of these reasons and need to understand their benefits outside of the gaming community. Video games visual benefits should be understood by students, parents, and teachers to aid students who may have vision impairments affecting all areas of their academic work.
SOURCE: Video Games: Play That Can Do Serious Good by Adam Eichenbaum, Daphine Bavelier, and C. Shawn Green (2014).