Virtual Reality Video Game Paired with Physical Monocular Blurring as Accessible Therapy for Amblyopia

This paper discusses a virtual reality (VR) therapeutic video game for treatment of the neurological eye disorder, Amblyopia. Amblyopia is often referred to as lazy eye, and it entails weaker vision in one eye due to a poor connection between the eye and the brain. Until recently it was thought to be untreatable in adults, but new research has proven that with consistent therapy even adults can improve their Amblyopia, especially through perceptual learning and video games. Even so, therapy compliance remains low due to the fact that conventional therapies are perceived as either invasive, dull and/or boring. Our game aims to make Amblyopia therapy more immersive, enjoyable and playful. The game was perceived by our users to be a fun and accessible alternative, as it involves adhering a Bangerter foil (an opaque sticker) on a VR headset to blur vision in an Amblyopic person's dominant eye while having them play a VR video game. To perform well in the video game, their brain must adapt to rely on seeing with their weaker eye, thereby reforging that neurological connection. While testing our game, we also studied users behavior to investigate what visual and kinetic components were more effective therapeutically. Our findings generally show positive results, showing that visual acuity in adults increases with 45 minutes of therapy. Amblyopia has many negative symptoms including poor depth perception (necessary for daily activities such as driving), so this therapy could be life changing for adults with Amblyopia.