Study Shows Action Video Games Can Improve Vision

Traditionally, It has been thought that staring at screens for too long will harm your vision in some way. Parents admonish their children to get away from the TV, and ergonomic studies have shown that long stretches of computer work are not kind on the eyes.

However, contrary to past experience, there may be a certain kind of screen-time that’s good for you. A new study from the University of Rochester has found that playing fast-paced, high action video games can actually increase real-world vision. Daphne Bavelier, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences says that these types of games train the brain to process exiting visual information more efficiently, increasing visual attention and contrast sensitivity. She believes that gaming may be a potential method of eyesight improvement.

Bavelier continues:

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that contrast sensitivity can be improved by simple training,” says Bavelier. “When people play action games, they’re changing the brain’s pathway responsible for visual processing. These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it, and we’ve seen the positive effect remains even two years after the training was over.”

Inventorspot: “Study Shows Video Games Can Improve Vision”