Cape Town – A new eye movement therapy and prototype by South African researchers is looking to potentially help address visual learning issues in children.
“The present study developed a paper-based prototype of a gamified eye movement therapy application,” the authors explained in the study titled, “Developing a paediatric eye movement therapy application: Expert feedback on a gamified paper prototype for South African children”.
The paper-prototype that the authors developed was created to simulate an application’s user interface and the user experience before a digital prototype is created.
According to the study, the development and learning of children can be detrimentally affected if specific eye movements called saccades and smooth pursuits are not efficient.
Saccades can be described as rapid eye jumps that are used to quickly shift your gaze. Whereas smooth pursuits can be described as slower tracking movements used to follow a moving object.
“Their daily learning, both in the classroom and at home requires smooth pursuits, accurate saccades and steady fixation,” the authors claimed.
“Examples of these include tracking a ball on the playground, scanning the classroom for an object or changing fixation while copying notes from the board.”
The prototype will also be developed and designed with a South African audience in mind, including locally inspired visuals and culturally relevant storylines, according to the study.
“The inclusion of culturally relevant content creates a sense of familiarity among users, thus maintaining stronger engagement,” the authors said.
“This addresses a significant gap in South African paediatric eye health therapy because it combines existing therapy methods with child-friendly digital interaction.”
Even though the prototype could assist learners, the authors highlighted that it is only a supplement to a formal therapy plan.
“Therapy should be recommended only after a comprehensive eye exam to determine the cause of the eye movement disorder,” the study said.
The authors Priyanka Jugdeo and Naimah Ebrahim Khan are from the Discipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Reference:
Jugdeo, P., & Ebrahim Khan, N. (2026). Developing a paediatric eye movement therapy application: Expert feedback on a gamified paper prototype for South African children. African Vision and Eye Health, 85(1), 7 pages. doi:https://doi.org/10.4102/aveh.v85i1.1099
