Computer game helps eye specialists treat disease in children

An eye consultant has drawn on his teenage passion for computer programming to create a special test to check the vision of children as young as four, in a way that can flag up problems caused by glaucoma, drug side-effects, brain tumours and other conditions. Mr Tariq Aslam, a consultant at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and senior lecturer at The University of Manchester, found that it was very difficult getting children to sit still and concentrate while machines designed for adults measured what they could see at the edge of their vision. Crucial information could not be obtained because the children often moved their eyes wrongly or did not respond correctly. This was having an impact on the child's diagnosis and treatment options. He realised that the ideal way to overcome a short attention span and lack of cooperation was to get children involved in playing a computer game, which would automatically measure their peripheral vision depending on exactly how they played. Mr Aslam drew on his teenage passion for programming and electronics to write the software himself to achieve this, after researching game theory and psychology as well as taking the advice of children who tried each version. He also designed and built an electronically controlled apparatus which encourages the children to position themselves correctly as part of the whole game experience.