First results: gaming works as well as patching

In 2023, we started our first randomised study at the Rotterdam Eye Hospital. The question was simple: how does a treatment with games compare with patching?

Children aged 4 to 10 with a lazy eye were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received the usual treatment with an eye patch. The other group played at home with Vedea Amblyopia Therapy (VAT): 3D games in a headset that can only be won with both eyes. After sixteen weeks, we measured how well each child could see with the lazy eye.

What we found

Children who played VAT improved as much as children who were patched. In both groups, children could read about one and a half more lines on the eye chart on average. There were no serious adverse events.

That is encouraging, because these children were playing 20/30 minutes instead of spending hours wearing a patch. The study was smaller than planned, and a follow-up study needs to confirm the results. But it is exactly the first step we set out to take.

What we learned

Keeping young children engaged is not easy, even with games. Many children played less than the prescribed 30 minutes a day. So we learned a lot from this first study. You can read what we are doing with those lessons here.