Cartoon panda app helps treat children with a ‘lazy eye’
Southampton researchers have developed an app to encourage greater use of eye patches in children with a common visual impairment.
Eye patches are one of the most common treatment methods for a ‘lazy eye’, but many children struggle to wear them enough.
A team of eye specialists, mathematicians and game designers at the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton have developed a new app to help.
It uses a series of games to encourage children to build a positive association with their eye patch and wear it more often.
Treating a lazy eye
The medical term for a lazy eye is amblyopia. It affects around one in 50 children in the UK.
A lazy eye is when the vision in one eye does not develop properly because it does not have a strong enough link to the brain.
Treatment aims to improve vision in the weaker eye through occlusion or ‘patching’ therapy. This involves covering the unaffected eye for a set time – around three hours a day for six months – forcing the ‘lazy’ eye to work harder.
However, intervention is often required to ensure children persist with the treatment, which has a success rate of just 50%.
Dr Jay Self is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southampton, and Consultant at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Self explains:
“Consistency in wearing an eye patch is essential for treating amblyopia.
“There’s a short window of time for treatment, as it has very limited success after the age of eight. It requires a huge time investment and perseverance and is not much fun at all. Sadly, it’s easy to give up.”
He added: “Evidence suggests that the development of immersive smartphone, tablet and computer games could offer a solution by making the child want to wear the patch for the first time.
“This can increase the effectiveness of occlusion therapy and relieve some of the pressure on parents to implement the treatment.”
The researchers have founded a spinout company, Nucleolus Software, to launch the app.
The app consists of several different computer games designed by graduates of the University’s Winchester School of Art. Through complex programming, it uses the smartphone’s camera to check if the person playing is wearing their patch correctly and encourages them to do so within the game.
Mathematician Joerg Fliege, a Professor of Operational Research at UoS, was part of the development team. He explained:
“By harnessing novel approaches from computational mathematics and artificial intelligence, we have enabled the app to sense if the user’s eye patch is being worn properly. If it isn’t, the game prompts them to correct this by sending them encouraging messages. If they wear their patch properly the game responds by unlocking different levels or giving rewards.
“This will help children to form a more positive association with their patch and increase the effectiveness of their treatment.”
A prototype of the app, called Amblios Club, is available to download on the Google Play Store. Developers hope it will be available for iPhone users in the coming months.
Children who use the app can expect to play games with Bambu the panda and his robot friend Bob. They will encounter other animals and help Bob to maintain a nature reserve and recycle waste.
Vanissa Wanick, a games designer and Senior Lecturer at Winchester School of Art, said:
“Amblios Club puts the kids in the centre of the experience. By making eyepatch use a superpower, we expect that this becomes not just a fun element, but an opportunity for kids to shine.
“The app also has a nurturing and goal setting scheme that gives children and their parents autonomy over the patching treatment.”
The researchers have teamed up with the Southampton charity, Gift of Sight, to run a national survey on how game technology can improve patch-wearing. You can sign up to take part here if you have experience of wearing an eye patch or helping a child to wear one.
The team also has a crowdfunding campaign to help continue the development of the new app.