iPhone App Alleges to 'Improve' Vision

[Steve Machol]

More quackery, or do you think there is something to this?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_989240.html

[Barry Santini]

Although nothing new here, using our vision processing evolutionary predisposition to "enhance" stimulus gradients is little appreciated by both the public and ecp alike. Evidence is clealy shown by those Rxs enveloped by the academic definition of emmetropia - +0.50 to -0.50D - and how these "uncorrected" individuals see 20/20 and declare they see fine.

Further, upon first application of a correction, they'll often remark that the eyewear seems "too sharp or too bright."

Its the same reason that a person remains unaware that their vision has changed much between exams.

Using blurred imagery to stmulate our vision's contrast-enhancing response in this manner makes sense.

Think about it.

[AngeHamm]

Oh good gracious, where to begin? How about with the article's title, " 'Glasses Off' iPhone App, Helps Train Brain to Improve Vision and Reading Speed." First of all, glasses compensate for irregularities in the shape and structure of the eye, not the brain; no amount of brain training will change the shape and structure of the eye. Also, where is the correlation between the use of corrective lenses and speed reading??? This is like creating a program for people with no tastebuds to increase their palate sensitivity while training them for speed-eating competitions.

Seriously, though, it sounds like this program is designed to discern what letters those tiny blurs are, not to make them appear sharper. That's an interesting approach to presbyopia, but one that seems a bit silly. I'd rather just see the image sharply with glasses than understand the blur.

Also, the headline is wrong: this app does NOT claim to improve vision.