Virtual reality is a concept that takes the user into a 3D experience that feels real but is in fact simulated. In some industries and professions, it is designed to help the user deal with real scenarios when they crop up, having gone through what amounts to the same situation, albeit an imaginary or “virtual” one. Other companies have used it to let customers play games in a fun new way.
A term often used in this is ‘immersive’, because users find themselves plunged into a virtual world that looks and sounds like the real thing, whereas everything is computer-generated. Please note, virtual reality (VR) is not to be confused with artificial intelligence (AI).
Using a VR headset, the two eyes can be fed different information, so the brain is encouraged to find ways of coordinating them. This is particularly effective for treating lazy eye (amblyopia) and crossed eyes (strabismus).
Because each eye is given a different image to work with, with the aim of combining the two, they are made to work equally hard. This seeks to remedy ‘suppression’, as the using of only one eye is called. Another technical term commonly used here is ‘binocular function’, where binocular simply means using two eyes.
How Does VR Help Track Improvements in Vision Therapy?
VR not only makes the eyes and brain work together as nature intended, but it enables the therapist to monitor improvements and adjust treatment accordingly.
Does VR Vision Therapy Involve a Game?
VR is well known as a form of entertainment which immerses the user in an alternative ‘world’, but the exercises used in vision therapy are much more than a game. They are serious tasks which the brain and eyes are made to do with the aim of improving function and coordination.
Having said that, there is a ‘game’ element to it, making this form of eye therapy popular for the treatment of children, which is very welcome, because if treatment is carried out at a young age, the individual can be better equipped to deal with everyday life and they can be relieved of the burden and stigma of lazy eye, crossed eyes and other conditions.
If part of the battle to correct these kinds of issues is getting the child to cooperate, presenting a treatment in the form of fun can be very helpful.
Similarly, in adults VR can help with vision therapy by making it less like a combination of science lesson and gym session and more like a pleasant way to pass a few minutes on a voyage of discovery with positive outcomes. Those amusement arcade games where you can have the virtual experience of driving a racing car are VR in its fun mode, but it is easy to see how creating other, more pragmatic scenarios, can challenge the brain in a similar way.
This can be helpful when vision issues occur in later life, whether through illness, accident or natural degeneration. Although an adult may find it daunting to be facing visual challenges when they have always taken their vision or granted, being able to use VR and keep track of improvements can be excellent for morale, which in turn helps the rehabilitation process. To learn more, visit Microprism Vision.