Playing Tetris video game 'fixes lazy eye', doctors say

Canadian doctors say they have found an inventive way to treat lazy eye - playing the Tetris video game.

The McGill University team discovered the popular tile-matching puzzle could train both eyes to work together.

In a small study, in Current Biology with 18 adults, it worked better than conventional patching of the good eye to make the weak one work harder.

The researchers now want to test if it would be a good way to treat children with the same condition.

UK studies are already under way.

An estimated one in 50 children has lazy eye, known medically as amblyopia.

It happens when the vision in one eye does not develop properly, and is often accompanied by a squint - where the eyes do not look in the same direction.

Without treatment it can lead to a permanent loss of vision in the weak eye, which is why doctors try to intervene early.

Normally, the treatment is to cover the strong eye with a patch so that the child is forced to use their lazy eye.

The child must wear the patch for much of the day over many months, which can be frustrating and unpleasant.


/BBC/