Undetected vision disorders may be a silent epidemic impacting children and could affect their ability to learn, and in some cases result in permanent visual loss. In response to these concerns, children’s eye surgeon, James O’Neil, M.D. and technology developer Richard Tirendi created EyeSpy 20/20™.
EyeSpy 20/20™ is a video game that takes children on a virtual treasure hunt during which they may wear eye patches or a pair of colored glasses. The game uses software protocols that measure the child’s responses to customize the testing in real time.
By screening for visual acuity and depth perception, the EyeSpy 20/20™ game screens for all the important childhood vision disorders, including amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (eye misalignment), cataracts, and focusing problems (nearsightedness, extreme farsightedness, and astigmatism). For preverbal children or those with special needs who are not able to play the game, the program integrates with other validated technologies.
EyeSpy 20/20™ requires minimal training to administer. The software generates a printout of the student’s results at the end of testing and recommends whether additional follow-up with an eye doctor is needed.
