Supporting School Aged Children to Train Their Vision by Using Serious Games

• Main Authors: Ilona Heldal, Carsten Helgesen, Qasim Ali, Daniel Patel, Atle Birger Geitung, Håvard Pettersen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Computers
• Subjects: OMD; eye-tracking; serious games; training; vision impairment; rehabilitation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-431X/10/4/53

Several children struggle with vision difficulties caused by problematic coordination between their left and right eye muscles, i.e., oculomotor dysfunction (OMD). Many OMDs can be improved by training the eyes via physical exercises defined and supervised by vision experts. The aim of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing Serious Games (SGs) and eye-tracking technologies (ETs) for training the eyes of children having OMD. Via these activities, a trainee can, with her eye gaze, follow objects which are moving, change their directions and speed, or pop up on the screen. The results present mapping the current physical training goals to activities for SGs using input from ETs, and illustrate this correspondence for designing and developing six games. The games’ feasibility evaluation is done via semistructured interviews and evaluating user experiences. Three vision teachers (VTs) were involved in design and development, ensuring achievement of training goals, and five VT students in evaluations. The findings demonstrate the potential of using SGs and ETs to train OMD and point to future needs for improvements.