Published in IoT

VR headsets can improve vision

by on31 August 2015


Uncrossing your eyes

A US businessman has found a medical use for VR headsets like occulus.

James Blaha, who's has a vision condition more commonly known as crossed eye, has built a venture-backed company based using the headsets to get better.

Blaha tried using two projectors to send different images to each eye to help strengthen the weaker one, however when the Oculus Rift development kit came out, he realized the headset could do the same thing better.

Two years ago, when he started experimenting, he didn't have any stereo vision and the vision in his weak eye was 20/70 while wearing glasses. In July, he reported gaining about 80 per cent of his stereo vision and near 20/20 vision with his glasses.

The traditional cure for lazy eye is to cover up the stronger eye with an eyepatch to train the weaker eye. But that only works in young children. Adults are harder to train.

Blaha ultimately envisions distributing See Vividly's software directly to patients, but is testing it in some US vision therapy clinics equipped with Oculus Rift development kits.

When Oculus ships its first consumer headset in early 2016 he will have a product ready.

Last modified on 31 August 2015
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