VR found to restore severe short-sightedness in Japanese study
It's been suggested before that use of VR devices can have a positive effect on eyesight, but so far this has largely been from anecdotal evidence. Quite frankly, it does feel like wishful thinking that something fun can actually be good for your physical condition too.
However, a recent study done at Kwansei Gakuin University's Graduate School of Science and Engineering has shed more light on this subject. Their paper, presented at Interaction 2025, showed that playing a specially designed VR game made significant improvements in vision under certain circumstances.
The researchers had a group of 10 people without any overarching eye diseases play the game over six weeks at different intervals and measured the effect it had on their vision. The game was a simple target shooting one, in which players used their controllers to aim and shoot at circular targets that get pushed further back when hit. This makes players practice looking both up close and far into the distance.
▼ Unfortunately, that time Mr. Sato married an anime dreamboat in VR, the depth perception was very limited and he saw no improvements in vision. But what he did gain was much more precious.
Even with some participants playing as infrequently as once every three days, all of them showed improvement in vision compared to their ability before the study. More interestingly, the test subjects with moderate to severe myopia (short-sightedness) prior to the test saw a more significant improvement in line with their frequency of playing, but those with only mild myopia did not see such impressive results.
The reason for this is not certain but one possible cause is pseudomyopia, which has the same symptoms as short-sightedness but is caused by straining the eyes, often due to staring at screens too long. Pseudomyopia can progress to real myopia if untreated, but is reversible with eye training, like alternating between staring up close and far away or looking at stereoscopic images.
So, it is possible that the subjects who saw the biggest improvements were only having the pseudomyopia components of their bad eyesight reversed, whereas those with only a modest improvement were suffering from the more permanent condition of real myopia. This is also a possibility because of the fact the subjects were all young students taken from the school's information sciences course and likely spend a lot of time in front of computers.
But even if it is only treating pseudomyopia, which is an increasingly common ailment in this digital age and treating it can still ensure long-term eye health in young people. The fact that VR can have at least that much of an effect on people's vision generated a fair bit of optimism in online comments.
'What the?! This is amazing! I'll buy VR if this is released.'
'It does make you see in 3D, so maybe it really can help.'
'A doctor on YouTube said myopia cannot be reversed, so what's going on?'
'This won't help people with genetic short-sightedness because their eyes are naturally misaligned.'
'It makes sense since it forces you to focus. They say even the 3DS had benefits.'
'Recovering your eyes through video games feels like a dream.'
'It sounds like people who only recently became short-sighted have a chance.'
The researchers say more work is needed to further verify these results and determine if this is simply remedying pseudomyopia or if benefits to regular myopia are occurring as well. Mark Zuckerberg and Sony really ought to be shoveling money at these researchers, because I'm pretty sure I'd buy a VR device if this turns out to be true as well. After all, the choice between paying a few hundred bucks to play video games and paying a few thousand for someone to use a deli slicer on my eyeballs so they can shoot lasers at them isn't a choice at all.
Source: Interaction 2025, MoguLive, My Game News Flash
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: ©SoraNews24
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The Mainichi
24-06-2025
- The Mainichi
The more library books per capita, the fewer residents require nursing care: Japan study
TOKYO -- Researchers in Japan have found that the more public library books a municipality has, the fewer residents require long-term nursing care. Why is this? The Mainichi Shimbun spoke with one of the authors of the research paper titled " Public libraries and functional disability: A cohort study of Japanese older adults." The research was led by Koryu Sato, a lecturer at Keio University's Faculty of Policy Management, and Saeko Otani, a Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine graduate currently in training, using the results of a survey tracking more than 70,000 elderly individuals over seven years, and their study was published in the March issue of the medical journal SSM - Population Health. 'So, what is it about libraries?' Sato, who studied data analysis at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Economics, holds a master's degree in public health from Harvard University and a doctorate in economics from Waseda University. His specialties are medical economics and social epidemiology. The research began after Otani, then an aspiring doctor and avid reader, expressed a desire to study the relationship between reading and health. However, many previous studies have already explored the connection between reading habits and health. For instance, a lifespan study released by Yale University in 2016 followed 3,635 people aged 50 and above for 12 years, finding that those with reading habits had a 20% lower mortality rate over 12 years compared to nonreaders. Additionally, readers had a 23-month longer period before their survival rate dropped to 80%. Other studies have shown that reading helps prevent cognitive decline. "Reading alone lacks novelty," Sato thought, prompting Otani to suggest, "So, what is it about libraries?" Thus began their unique study on libraries and health. An unexpected correlation They utilized data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, one of the largest surveys of elderly individuals in Japan. The study analyzed data from 73,138 people aged 65 and older who were healthy in 2013 and lived in 19 cities and towns across the country, tracking them until 2021. During this period, 16,336 individuals, or 22.3%, were certified as needing long-term nursing care. Sato and Otani examined the number of books in public libraries in these 19 municipalities and analyzed their relationship with the number of certifications showing people required long-term care. "In fact, we didn't expect a correlation between libraries and health," Sato admitted. The results were therefore surprising. More books, fewer nursing care certifications? The data analysis revealed a correlation: municipalities with one more book per capita had 4% fewer care certifications, and those with 10 more books per capita had 34% fewer certifications. The national average is about 3.7 books per person, according to the 2024 public library tallies, but in Tokyo's 23 special wards alone, the number ranges from roughly two to eight books, with Chiyoda Ward having the most. Some might question whether municipalities with many library books are wealthier, offering more services, and whether residents are richer and more health-conscious in the first place. However, Sato explained that the results account for demographic and socioeconomic factors. Specifically, they adjusted for factors such as age, gender, years of education, household income, marital status, employment status, social participation, municipal financial strength and population density to ensure these did not influence the results. "What we found is merely a correlation, not a strict causal relationship, so we can't definitively say 'increasing library books will reduce long-term care certifications,'" Sato said. "However, even after removing the influence of various factors, the correlation with the long-term care risk was clear." Health benefits even for nonreaders? Their study also found that while there was a significant correlation between the number of library books and long-term care risks among those with established reading habits, it still existed for nonreaders. This suggests that living in a municipality with many library books may extend healthy life expectancy, even for those who don't read. Why do library books benefit the elderly's health? Sato suggested, "I think that the number of books indicates the library's richness. Having an excellent library nearby is thought to offer physical, cognitive and social participation benefits." He added, "One is the physical effect. Going to the library instead of reading at home contributes to health. Preceding studies show that prolonged sitting is harmful for health, and even without physical exercise, just light walking is beneficial for health." Libraries offer more than just reading The second benefit is cognitive function. Sato explained, "Reading itself is brain training, and unlike regular reading, going to a library offers unexpected book encounters, broadening knowledge. Library events can also stimulate intellectual curiosity." The third benefit is social participation. Sato noted, "Participating in regular activities like hobbies helps maintain cognitive function and reduce mortality, according to previous studies. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare also focuses on 'community places' where elderly people can conduct activities to prevent care and frailty. A large collection of books indicates that the library is large, and it may serve as a hub for community activities. Libraries also have heating and cooling. This potentially bridges economic and living environment gaps for the elderly, such as those with or without air conditioners." Indeed, libraries offer benefits beyond just reading, such as physical and social participation advantages. The key is 'social participation' On weekdays, libraries are filled with elderly men who are "regular library-goers." Previously, they were often negatively viewed in Japan as "people who can't enjoy retirement" or "those without a place in the family." However, knowing that regular library visits reduce long-term care risk might change perceptions of people around them. Interestingly, however, the correlation between the number of library books and health was stronger for women than men in this study. Despite the perception that elderly men dominate library visits, why is this the case? Sato speculated, "It may be due to the degree of 'social participation.'" He added, "While men benefit physically and cognitively from library visits, women overwhelmingly excel in social participation. In terms of this, I think that women likely gain more from library events and group activities." Indeed, "social participation" might be the key to further improving the health of elderly men who frequent libraries. (Japanese original by Ayako Oguni, Opinion Editorial Department)
Japan Today
31-05-2025
- Japan Today
VR found to restore severe short-sightedness in Japanese study
By SoraNews24 It's been suggested before that use of VR devices can have a positive effect on eyesight, but so far this has largely been from anecdotal evidence. Quite frankly, it does feel like wishful thinking that something fun can actually be good for your physical condition too. However, a recent study done at Kwansei Gakuin University's Graduate School of Science and Engineering has shed more light on this subject. Their paper, presented at Interaction 2025, showed that playing a specially designed VR game made significant improvements in vision under certain circumstances. The researchers had a group of 10 people without any overarching eye diseases play the game over six weeks at different intervals and measured the effect it had on their vision. The game was a simple target shooting one, in which players used their controllers to aim and shoot at circular targets that get pushed further back when hit. This makes players practice looking both up close and far into the distance. Even with some participants playing as infrequently as once every three days, all of them showed improvement in vision compared to their ability before the study. More interestingly, the test subjects with moderate to severe myopia (short-sightedness) prior to the test saw a more significant improvement in line with their frequency of playing, but those with only mild myopia did not see such impressive results. The reason for this is not certain but one possible cause is pseudomyopia, which has the same symptoms as short-sightedness but is caused by straining the eyes, often due to staring at screens too long. Pseudomyopia can progress to real myopia if untreated, but is reversible with eye training, like alternating between staring up close and far away or looking at stereoscopic images. So, it is possible that the subjects who saw the biggest improvements were only having the pseudomyopia components of their bad eyesight reversed, whereas those with only a modest improvement were suffering from the more permanent condition of real myopia. This is also a possibility because of the fact the subjects were all young students taken from the school's information sciences course and likely spend a lot of time in front of computers. But even if it is only treating pseudomyopia, which is an increasingly common ailment in this digital age and treating it can still ensure long-term eye health in young people. The fact that VR can have at least that much of an effect on people's vision generated a fair bit of optimism in online comments. 'What the?! This is amazing! I'll buy VR if this is released.' 'It does make you see in 3D, so maybe it really can help.' 'A doctor on YouTube said myopia cannot be reversed, so what's going on?' 'This won't help people with genetic short-sightedness because their eyes are naturally misaligned.' 'It makes sense since it forces you to focus. They say even the 3DS had benefits.' 'Recovering your eyes through video games feels like a dream.' 'It sounds like people who only recently became short-sighted have a chance.' The researchers say more work is needed to further verify these results and determine if this is simply remedying pseudomyopia or if benefits to regular myopia are occurring as well. Source: Interaction 2025, MoguLive, My Game News Flash Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Twitter user's eyesight improves after playing VR game for five hours a day for five months -- Very limited sale of glasses that can halt or reverse nearsightedness begin in Japan -- Video game to detect early stages of glaucoma developed by Tohoku University External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
31-05-2025
- SoraNews24
VR found to restore severe short-sightedness in Japanese study
Soon your mom might yell at you to stare at those darn video games more. It's been suggested before that use of VR devices can have a positive effect on eyesight, but so far this has largely been from anecdotal evidence. Quite frankly, it does feel like wishful thinking that something fun can actually be good for your physical condition too. However, a recent study done at Kwansei Gakuin University's Graduate School of Science and Engineering has shed more light on this subject. Their paper, presented at Interaction 2025, showed that playing a specially designed VR game made significant improvements in vision under certain circumstances. The researchers had a group of 10 people without any overarching eye diseases play the game over six weeks at different intervals and measured the effect it had on their vision. The game was a simple target shooting one, in which players used their controllers to aim and shoot at circular targets that get pushed further back when hit. This makes players practice looking both up close and far into the distance. ▼ Unfortunately, that time Mr. Sato married an anime dreamboat in VR, the depth perception was very limited and he saw no improvements in vision. But what he did gain was much more precious. Even with some participants playing as infrequently as once every three days, all of them showed improvement in vision compared to their ability before the study. More interestingly, the test subjects with moderate to severe myopia (short-sightedness) prior to the test saw a more significant improvement in line with their frequency of playing, but those with only mild myopia did not see such impressive results. The reason for this is not certain but one possible cause is pseudomyopia, which has the same symptoms as short-sightedness but is caused by straining the eyes, often due to staring at screens too long. Pseudomyopia can progress to real myopia if untreated, but is reversible with eye training, like alternating between staring up close and far away or looking at stereoscopic images. So, it is possible that the subjects who saw the biggest improvements were only having the pseudomyopia components of their bad eyesight reversed, whereas those with only a modest improvement were suffering from the more permanent condition of real myopia. This is also a possibility because of the fact the subjects were all young students taken from the school's information sciences course and likely spend a lot of time in front of computers. But even if it is only treating pseudomyopia, which is an increasingly common ailment in this digital age and treating it can still ensure long-term eye health in young people. The fact that VR can have at least that much of an effect on people's vision generated a fair bit of optimism in online comments. 'What the?! This is amazing! I'll buy VR if this is released.' 'It does make you see in 3D, so maybe it really can help.' 'A doctor on YouTube said myopia cannot be reversed, so what's going on?' 'This won't help people with genetic short-sightedness because their eyes are naturally misaligned.' 'It makes sense since it forces you to focus. They say even the 3DS had benefits.' 'Recovering your eyes through video games feels like a dream.' 'It sounds like people who only recently became short-sighted have a chance.' The researchers say more work is needed to further verify these results and determine if this is simply remedying pseudomyopia or if benefits to regular myopia are occurring as well. Mark Zuckerberg and Sony really ought to be shoveling money at these researchers, because I'm pretty sure I'd buy a VR device if this turns out to be true as well. After all, the choice between paying a few hundred bucks to play video games and paying a few thousand for someone to use a deli slicer on my eyeballs so they can shoot lasers at them isn't a choice at all. Source: Interaction 2025, MoguLive, My Game News Flash Top image: Pakutaso Insert image: ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
