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Study Links Video Games to Improved Vision

Action games improve optics and brain's response

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Mar 30, 2009 4:03 AM CDT

(Newser) – Adults can apparently improve their eyesight by playing action video games, a treatment less painful—for some, at least—than corrective lenses or eye surgery, according to researchers. Scientists compared study subjects who played the action games Call of Duty and Unreal Tournament 2004 to a group who played the more sedate Sims 2. The Call of Duty players improved their eyes' sensitivity to contrast by nearly 58%, CNET reports.

Contrast sensitivity determines the eye's ability to tell apart subtle differences in shades of gray. Video-game treatment could be beneficial for adults with lazy eye or who have trouble seeing at night, said researchers. "These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it," said a cognitive science professor. "We've seen the positive effect remains even two years after the training was over."

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Playing 'Call of Duty' can improve aspects of adult eyesight, a new study has found. (William B. Plowman/AP/Activision)

Action video games teach the brain to process visual information more efficiently, researchers have discovered in a new study. (AP Photo/Activision)

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Normally, improving contrast sensitivity means getting glasses or eye surgery—somehow changing the optics of the eye. - Prof. Daphne Bavelier

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Study Links Video Games to Improved Vision