DigiThea | VR Game Eye Damage

Industry: Healthcare
Technology: Virtual Reality
Use: Raising awareness

Question

DigiThea was looking for a solution to make young people aware in an innovative way of the dangers of looking at a screen for a long time.

VR Owl was asked by DigiThea to develop an application to stimulate a change in behaviour using a virtual reality experience that appeals to a young audience.

Solution

The application consists of two parts, an informative animation and a serious game. During the animation, the user is in a classroom in the desert. Here, the goddess of sight, Thea, explains how the eye works. Subsequently, the risks of looking too closely for too long are explained, as well as what the user can do to limit them; the 20/20 rule. After 20 minutes of looking close, look 20 seconds far away.

In the game, this 20/20 rule is applied in a playful manner. The user controls a ball containing a shape (square, triangle, diamond or circle). The aim is to hit as many objects with the same shape as possible. For each object hit, the player receives points, which are shown on a scoreboard.

After 20 seconds, the game becomes blurred and the player is asked to look far away for 20 seconds. This is a method the player can use in real life; don’t look at the same point for too long.

Result

The game shows what can happen to your vision if you don’t keep to the 20/20 rule, which raises awareness and hopefully changes behaviour. Moreover, young people can apply the 20/20 rule in a playful manner. This lowers the threshold to talk about this subject and, if necessary, make an appointment with an ophthalmologist and/or optometrist.