New iOS App that Improves Vision?

By: Jordan Hollingsworth

Vision is something that is very precious, whether going through your normal day to day activities, or needing to focus on something specific like hitting a 95 mph fastball. There have also been studies tested that have shown that squinting to see something has negative effects on human eyesight.

There is a new iOS app that not only gives your eyes a workout, but can potentially improve your vision altogether! Other alternatives like corrective lenses and laser eye surgery may improve certain aspects of eyesight but some simple eye workouts can improve vision as well. The app is called UltimEyes. The app was developed by a company called Carrot Neurotechnology, after being created by a neuroscientist at the University of California, Riverside by the name of Aaron Seitz.

Ultimately, it is a program that consists of four 25-minute sessions per week, for eight weeks. It is comprised of interactive games where the users find and tap on dots on the screen that are hard to see. Seitz used baseball players from the university as test subjects. 19 baseball players who went through and completed the sessions had an average of 31 percent increase in their eyesight. Some players reached 20/7.5 vision, which is better than the average 20/20, including significant improvements in seeing at a distance of 20 feet. Players were able to see the baseball better, and reported improvement in their peripheral vision.

The iOS app doesn’t change the physical state of your eyes, but it rewires your brain. The concept is called neuroplasticity, essentially training your brain to process information that it receives from your eyes. UltimEyes uses methods of perceptual learning combined with interactive gaming dynamics to improve visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and attention. By making the exercises both fun and challenging, like a well-designed video game, users are encouraged and keep making progress. Users can find the app "reversing the effects of aging eyes, reading without glasses, seeing better in dim light, or optimizing vision for competitive sports."

UltimEyes is available on the iPad, with also desktop versions on Mac and PC. It should not be purchased from an original iPad, or the first generation iPad mini. Is it all hype? Can this app actually improve your vision long term? Find out by purchasing UltimEyes for $5.99 on the iTunes App Store.  There are pictures and videos below to see for yourself.

Links:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231824

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/03/02/ultimeyes-ios-app-promises-to-improve-your-vision/

http://www.news.com.au/technology/gaming/can-ultimeyes-app-train-your-brain-to-give-you-superhuman-vision/story-fn81y8rt-1226831602281

Photo:

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M_tVyVlrLQ