Researchers Treat Lazy Eye With Tetris
Tetris University Of MinnesotaIncreasing brain plasticity with falling blocks The classic game Tetris has been shown to help alleviate some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and apparently it's also good at treating lazy eyes. Usually amblyopia, more commonly known as a lazy eye, is treated by something like "patching"--where doctors put a patch over the stronger, dominant eye and the weaker, wandering eye has to adjust on its own. It works through plasticity: the ability of certain parts of the brain to take over the work of other parts. A team led by McGill University researcher Robert Hess wanted to explore different ways for treating the estimated 3 percent of people with the condition worldwide. Instead of separating the work of the two eyes, the team devised a way of forcing them to work together. The researchers had people with amblyopia play Tetris with head-mounted goggles on. The goggles separated...