Controversial Video Games May Enhance Your Vision

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester found that playing video games, specifically first person shooter games, could improve your vision.

For years, parents have worried that playing video games might be ruining their children's eyesight. This study found the opposite to be true. Playing the games does not change your eyes. It will not improve refractive errors such as nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia). It helps your vision by improving the way that your brain handles visual information.

Only high action games, typically the violent games parents fear most, produce the effect. Two groups of college students were studied. One played an action game and after 30 days showed a 20% improvement on "crowding tests" – visual tests which measure your ability to recognize a symbol in a crowd of other symbols. The group which played Tetris showed no improvement.

Researcher Shawn Green said that finding college students who did not already play video games was the most difficult part of conducting the study.

The findings may lead to the development of software to improve vision problems such as lazy eye (amblyopia).

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