A daily dose of Mario on Nintendo DS saves boy's sight

Sweetening the pill: Ben Michaels was prescribed daily computer game sessions to treat his lazy eye
12 April 2012

A six-year-old boy who was almost blind in one eye can see properly after a specialist prescribed daily sessions on a Nintendo games console.

The treatment was recommended for Ben Michaels by consultant Ken Nischal of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

Mr Nischal believes the therapy could help thousands of children with weak eyesight. Ben, from Billericay in Essex, is one of nearly 60 taking part in trials using the Nintendo DS. Early evidence shows that playing with the hand-held console for only two hours a day can bring big improvements in vision. Researchers believe repetitive eye movement is encouraged, training the eye to focus correctly.

The treatment is especially effective for "lazy eye syndrome" - the condition Ben was diagnosed with at the age of four - when vision decreases gradually in one eye, which is traditionally patched to make it work properly. Left untreated, the condition can become permanent. Mr Nischal patched Ben's eye and recommended he play on his console two hours a day, which he does with his twin, Jake. Mario Kart is a favourite.

The twins' mother, Maxine, 36, said that from being "nearly blind" in the eye, Ben's vision "improved 250 per cent" in the first week. Mr Nischal said research had shown benefits in adult cases of doing repetitive visual tasks. "A games console is something children can relate to. It allows us to deliver treatment quicker."

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