Video Games in the Treatment of Amblyopia: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: Amblyopia can drastically affect a child’s life. Recently, following a shift in the view of amblyopia from that of a monocular disorder to that of a binocular disorder, dichoptic video games were introduced as a new treatment method.

Aim: To explore the role of video games in the treatment of children with amblyopia.

Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were screened for the keywords “amblyopia” and “games”, from January to March 2022. Only articles written in English that discussed video games for the treatment of amblyopia were included.

Results: The advantages of dichoptic video games include a more rapid improvement in visual acuity in different age groups, simpler compliance monitoring, and possibly a reduced risk of recurrence. However, not all studies proclaimed the effectiveness of video games and some raised concerns about their addictive potential.

Conclusion: Dichoptic video games require further controlled studies to demonstrate their efficacy. However, they show promising results in the treatment of what was, until recently, considered untreatable amblyopia.