Thursday, March 24, 2011

3DS Could Help Identify Eye Problems in Youths


Despite warnings that young children should avoid viewing 3D images on the Nintendo 3DS, eye specialists are now claiming that the 3DS could be a "godsend" in helping to identify children who may suffer from vision problems.

"The 3DS could be a godsend for identifying kids under 6 who need vision therapy," said Michael Duenas of the American Optometric Association.

It's one thing when an outside group suggests that using a videogame system could cause problems, but it was Nintendo itself that warned against young children using the 3DS' 3D effect. "We will recommend that very young children not look at 3D images," Reggie Fils-Aime said last June, adding, "That's because, [in] young children, the muscles for the eyes are not fully formed..." After eye specialists openly disagreed with Nintendo's warning, the company clarified that Nintendo's warning has to do with avoiding lawsuits.

Children unable to see the 3D effect could be suffering from vision problems like amblyopia, the technical term for what's commonly referred to as lazy eye. Alternatively, dizziness or discomfort caused by the 3D are also signs that the child should be checked out by a doctor. These problems are easier to deal with when caught under the age of 6, but by that point, most kids haven't been given the sort of testing that would detect them.

Ophthalmologist David Hunter qualified things, saying that while there is potential here, it's "all sort of exploration and speculation."

Even so, maybe the 3DS could prove to be a useful tool beyond the features you'll find on a fact sheet, much like Microsoft's Kinect.

Source: Gamasutra

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