A revolutionary new app may change the way athletes train for their specific sport. Ultimeyes, an app designed by Aaron Seitz, a professor of psychology at University of California at Riverside, aims to improve athletes’ abilities through the strengthening of their eyesight, according to the Ultimeyes website.
The app is designed as a game, where the user taps targets on the screen and gains points. There are also similar-looking decoys on the screen, forcing the eye to differentiate between the right and wrong targets. The targets are shaded grey puddles that offset a lighter grey background, forcing the eye to focus on the small targets according to The Huffington Post.
In an email interview with Seitz, the lead professor on the study who has been working in the field of perceptual learning for 15 years, he explained the app and the science behind it.
“The fuzzy blobs, called Gabors, that are in the program are modeled after the types of stimuli that neurons in the early visual cortex respond best to. The idea is that if we can train these cells to respond better to their basic inputs that this will then improve the efficiency by which the brain processes visual information.”
The app is designed to increase brain plasticity and train the brain to see better, more clearly, and more accurately. The Utlimeyes website explains that the app does not actually improve your eyes, but your brain,
A study has been done on the UC Riverside baseball team, which showed drastic improvements, about 31 percent better vision based on standard vision testing, which equates to one to two lines on an eye chart, according to The Huffington Post. This training, said Seitz, allowed the team to decrease their total number of strikeouts, increase the number of runs produced, and accounted for about five more wins on the season.
As a baseball player, this is an intriguing topic. This new vision training could be a revolutionary new way to prepare for the season. With increased eyesight would come the ability to track and connect with pitches better. Off-speed pitches like curveballs, changeups, and splitters would be easier to read, allowing hitters to stay back and make contact, rather than swinging through the pitch, decreasing strikeouts.
Although this training has only been tested in baseball, according to the Ultimeyes website, it will be used in other sports like softball, football, and lacrosse in the future. Ultimeyes, however, goes beyond the realm of athletics.
“We are doing lots of studies with ULTIMEYES. These include people with low vision, with reading problems, people with traumatic brain injury, and even radiologists. Most studies are still in progress and so stay tuned for future results,” said Seitz.
Although studies have not been conclusive as to how long these improvements last, it has been determined that the increase in eye sight lasts from several months to years, according to Seitz. With no known side effects, Ultimeyes looks to be the up-and-coming form of training, rehab, and overall ocular performance.
