So your parents and others tell you that video games are a waste of time, nonsense, and etc. Well, as gamers we all know that those thing aren't true but now you can have scientific evidence proving so. A study at the University of California, Berkeley has discovered that gaming acts as a valid substitute for treating the visual impairment of amblyopia, or it's commonly known name of "lazy eye".

Amblyopia is commonly treated in children by giving them an eye patch to cover the healthy eye and forcing them to read for extended periods of time to strengthen the eye with the ailment. Sadly the same technique isn't as effective for adults... unless they're playing video games. Berkley's Helen Willis Neuroscience Institute has discovered that 40 hours of gameplay using the "bad" eye is equivalent to 120 hours of normal, non-game-specific occlusion therapy.

Twenty subjects from the ages 20-60 were chosen to play video games for two hours at a time, over the course of one month. The subjects were split into two groups of ten, the first half playing action titles and the other half playing non-action titles. At the end of  the study the visual acuity of all of the participants improved by and average of 30%.

This is great news for two reasons: first there isn't that much that can be done to treat lazy eye, and second everyone I know would much rather play more games than be forced to read a book that they really don't care for. This study could also be compared to physical therapists using the Wii to help patients with their mobility. It would be nice to see more gaming oriented studies like this and the plans of  the Xbox 360 being used to help revolutionize the healthcare industry in the future. Who would've thought that gaming could assist a potential career in the healthcare field?

So how do you guys feel about gaming consoles being used in this fashion?

Source: GamePoltics