Video game maker Ubisoft, the company behind the Assassin’s Creed franchise, has partnered with medical developer Amblyotech and McGill University to create a new game designed to help people suffering from lazy eye disorder.
The new game, Dig Rush, targets amblyopia (lazy eye) patients who are suffering from vision loss. The disorder, which affects between one and five percent of the population, can result in the afflicted donning an eye patch, however, the effectiveness of such a measure has been questioned by the scientific community.
Introducing Dig Rush, the first game developed to help in the treatment of 'lazy eye' >> http://t.co/fRxn4XkIvN || pic.twitter.com/R9SXsEU8UN
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) March 3, 2015
The lazy eye condition entails decreased vision as the result of abnormal visual development in infancy and early childhood. The Mayo Clinic notes that it’s usually limited to one eye, however, it can affect both eyes.
Amblyopia is the leading cause of decreased vision among children and if left untreated, it can result in vision loss ranging from mild to severe.
Researchers analyzing patients playing the new game for four to six weeks exhibited rapid improvement with minimal relapse.
Out of a couple hundred patients analyzed in the initial tests, 90 percent showed improvement after playing the game.
Dig Rush is scheduled to include a complete clinical development of the title, which its developers say they intend on seeking regulatory clearance for.
The game is to be administered through a physician’s recommendation. This translates into prescriptions to play. So if you haven’t been diagnosed with a lazy eye, there’s a chance you won’t be playing this new video game.
Ubisoft’s senior producer Mathieu Ferland was quoted by Yahoo! News as having said that the game’s development “was a great opportunity” for the game maker to contribute their “knowledge and skills in video game development to help materialize a breakthrough” and that the company is “proud to be involved in such a positive illustration of the impact of video-game technology.”
The Montreal-based gaming company’s new video game, which has been in development for over two years according to a CBC report, is designed as a form of therapy to treat amblyopia.
What are your thoughts on this new lazy eye improving video game, Dig Rush?
