iPads could be used in treating kids with cortical visual impairment

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The iPad is not only a device used for entertaining, but it might be therapeutic for kids with severe vision problems.

New findings reveal that Apple’s tablet may have the ability to improve cortical visual impairment, after noticeable differences were seen in children with this condition.

“We gave 15 toddlers between the ages of three and four with cortical visual impairment an iPad to play with and were completely shocked with the results. Children with the disorder don’t usually look directly at people and objects, but they were completely drawn to the light of the iPad and could interact with objects on the screen,” said Muriel Saunters, assistant research professor at the University of Kansas’ Life Span Institute.

Children that suffer from this condition work with therapists and parents by using a light box so they have an easier time seeing lights and objects in high contrast. While they will look out the window into bright sunlight, they will not look at faces or objects, appearing to be blind.

After using the iPad, the results were remarkable, and parents started circulating the news on social media, as their kids started interacting with the objects on the screen in a way they had never interacted with any object before.

Saunders is currently working on a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health to conduct a study and see if the iPad are, indeed, helping these children.

“The iPad could be a huge resource in helping kids with cortical vision improvement see better in the future,” Saunders said.

The iPads are already being used with children with autism as they help them adjust to sensory overload.

By Radu Tyrsina

Source: AppleForums.net via FoxNews