With the cost of in-office Vision Therapy so high, I have looked for ways to supplement that therapy at home. I have a found several apps that are great, and several terrible ones claiming to be great. Here are my top 7 apps that provide a way to correct vision problems associated with lazy eye (amblyopia) and strabismus.
The Seven Best Apple Apps in 2019 for Amblyopia or Strabismus:
- Amblyopia Lazy Eye Vision Fine $1.99
- Amblyopia Lazy Eye Exercise $1.99
- Amblyopia Lazy Eye VisionSimul $1.99
- GamE-Blyopia $9.99
- Lazy Eye Therapy – Blocks
- Lazy Eye Therapy – Cars
- Lazy Eye Therapy – Dots
Before I get into the specifics of each app, I want to give some vocabulary so that the descriptions make sense.
Dichoptic means that the app is designed to be used with special 3D glasses that you can get from your eye doctor or can be purchased on my website. These glasses have one lens that is red, the other is blue. With the glasses, each eye sees a part of the game, in order to be successful, the eyes must work together.
A Red Lens Patch is type of patch that you can get from your Developmental Optometrist as a part of home vision therapy. Read about what they are for here or how to make one here.
Any of the dichoptic type apps can work in a different way as exercise with the red lens patch. It doesn’t force the eyes to work together, but it is still a great anti-suppression exercise to strengthen a weak eye. If you are just beginning, I recommend that as a starting point, then work up to using the glasses to train the eyes to work together.
Do not use any of these apps unless you first meet with an optometrist or ophthalmologist who tells you that they would be appropriate for your condition.
If your eyes work together already, but just struggle or wander occasionally, these apps can just help strengthen the skills that you already have and for most people they are very helpful.
If you have strabismus and your eyes do not at all work together, playing these games can lead to double vision. For me, I understand that double vision is a part of the process and I’m hoping to get to that point because it’s one step closer to stereo vision. You need to understand that to get through the double vision and to stereo vision you will need the help of a vision therapist. Do not start unless you are willing to have your vision get worse before it gets better and pay the big bucks to have a professional get you through that part.
If you want help finding a vision therapist, you can fill out THIS FORM and I will email you one that is close to you. You can also schedule a consult with me and I can help you determine the perfect path to straight, high functioning eyes. Learn more HERE.
I also want to add these apps seem to be made by non-English speaking individuals. None of the apps out there are terribly beautiful or user friendly, but these ones are the best by comparison. So when you open the app and there is a horrible design you can think, “oh, that’s what she meant.”
Okay, disclaimers over, let’s get down to the real business at hand, which apps do I recommend?
“Amblyopia Lazy Eye Exercise” Apps
Amblyopia Lazy Eye Exercise makes four apps that are designed to strengthen an eye that is weakened due to amblyopia, strabismus or other convergence problems. Each of their apps has a different focus so I like that you can pick the ones that are right for your level.
These are the easiest of the apps that I’ve found and are a great place to start with eye exercises. They are also the least expensive.
There is a timer at the top corner of each game, automatically set for 5 minutes. You also get to enjoy a selection of lovely classical music during the games.
Every time you leave a game or the time runs out you will be taunted with the nice message, “you can do better!” Even when I scored 165 and did so amazing, “you can do better!” LOL. Be prepared to pat your own back when you use these apps!
1. Amblyopia Lazy Eye Vision Fine $1.99
This app has two games that are meant to be combined with patching to strengthen the amblyopic eye. You do not need any special glasses. Just do these exercises while you are wearing your regular patch.
- “Find Letter” is a game where you are given a picture and then you must find the exact same one among several rotated versions of that picture.
- “Find Number” has the numbers 1-11 on little blocks. The blocks are red and the number are white so it works fantastically with a red lens patch! Patch your strong eye with a red lens and then try to find the numbers in order. You can do it with a normal patch too.
2. Amblyopia Lazy Eye Exercise $1.99
Both of the games in this app are designed to be done while patching as well. You can use a red lens patch and it is pretty effective with these apps, especially “clear dots.”
- “Clear Dots” features a checkerboard background (this can be changed in the settings) with about 15 red dots. Your goal is to clear the dots by tapping them, as many times as possible in five minutes.
- “Draw” shows a basic drawing and you use your finger to trace the lines. The drawings are pretty lame, but there are 30 to choose from and this exercise is a good way to strengthen a weak eye.
3. Amblyopia Lazy Eye VisionSimul $1.99
These dichotic games are meant to be used with red/blue glasses. The colors are not adjustable, but the automatic settings work well with the red/blue glasses. The good news? The difficulty level is adjustable. The two games:
- “Move Square” involves moving an empty square to be centered over an animal picture. Because one is red and the other is blue, you must coordinate both eyes. This game uses a purple background which I prefer to the black. This is a beginner level dichotic game because you aren’t being rushed. I love this one because I can take my time to really focus on using both eyes simultaneously.
- “Match Picture” involves matching pictures that are already on the screen. It isn’t adjustable and the colors don’t work well with the red/blue glasses I have, this one is a bust for me, but may work if you have the right 3D glasses. It does okay with a red lens patch.
This app came in the bundle and it seems really lame and not worth it. For this reason I don’t recommend getting the bundle, just buy the first 3 and ignore this one!
- “E Direction” has an E that changes direction and you click the arrow that represents the way it is facing. It is all supposedly 3D, but I can’t see 3D and was able to just do it with one eye. It didn’t seem very earth shattering or exciting
- “O Different” has O’s on both sides of the screen that are 3D, you’re supposed to match the ones that are the same. I found it impossible and figured it was because I lack stereo vision, but my 11 year old son couldn’t figure it out either and he does have stereo vision. If a 32 year old and an 11 year old can’t figure it out, it’s not worth the trouble.
4- GamE-Blyopia $9.99
This app holds a special place in my heart because it was the first one I ever downloaded. The first time I put on the glasses and realized the magic of needing both eyes to solve a puzzle or complete a task was so exciting. I was amazed and just felt like I wasn’t the only one in the world with vision problems. I read the reviews and just felt like I was part of a community.
This app allows you to adjust all the colors for either red/blue glasses or red/green glasses. The app has four dichotic games, two you work at your own pace, the other two are games.
You can get a two week trial for free, after the trial, the monthly subscription is $9.99. I think it’s worth it as long as you use it. I am waiting to start my subscription for when I’m a little further along in my therapy.
- “Letter Hunt” has a series of letter on a board with a word at the top. You click on the letters to spell the word. Some of the letters can be seen with your left eye, some with your right, so you must engage both eyes to complete the task.
- “2048” involves moving tiles up/down/left/right to combine tiles that are the same number. When you combine, the numbers double. The goal is to get to 2048. I love this game and this is the only app I’ve seen that offers this dichotic version.
- “Brick Away” has about 50 bricks at the top of the screen. Your goal is to knock all of them down with a little ball that is controlled by a slider down at the bottom. You can adjust the speed to go super slow which makes it much less frustrating than similar apps made by other companies.
- “Snake” is a typical snake game. There are little apples on the screen and you control the snake to move it towards the apples. Every time you get an apple, the snake grows. You can changed the color of the snake and apples so that your weaker eye follows the snake. They guide you through the setup in the app.
Lazy Eye Therapy App Collection $20.99
Lazy Eye Therapy makes three different apps that can be bought in a package for a one time fee of $20.99. The games are each $9.99 on their own. These games are the most difficult of the apps I’m recommending.
To me, this app has the easiest color adjustment options to make it work with 3D glasses. It is very user friendly and I just like the interface. Each of the games is dichoptic so they are meant to be played with red/blue glasses.
I love that these games each come with 4 levels. Each level just increases the speed. They have Easy, Average, Hard and Extreme. I can’t see out of both eyes at the same time so even with switching from eye to eye, I can still do okay on the easy levels.
The three games that it includes are:
5. “Blocks” is a version of Tetris. The blocks are blue while they are falling and once they hit the bottom they become red. There have been several research studies based on similar Tetris games that have shown great results for improvement of stereo vision.
6. “Cars” – The player tries to move the cars to get the circles and avoid the squares. This one is pretty difficult, but I like that both eyes must be heavily involved. Difficult can be a good thing if you’re ready for a challenge.
7. “Dots” – There is a circle on each half of the screen that is half red/ half blue. Tap the circles to switch to match the incoming colored dots.
Honerable Mentions
There are some apps that I didn’t mention that are worth mentioning so you understand why I don’t love them.
This app was created by Singapore National Eye Center to be used by their patients and has been used in studies to prove it efficacy. I love that!
This app has been used to help Amblyopia, Strabismus and even Convergence Insufficiency patients develop better stereo-vision with a focus on improving fusion.
Fusion is when both of your eyes merge two images together into one. This is the only app I’ve been able to find that claims this ability. Technically you can do similar exercises with dots on a piece of paper, but the app makes it easier and more fun.
The app features 18 different pictures divided into three levels. When you click on an image it opens a screen with matching images on each side. You focus on a pencil and try to use your peripheral vision to mesh the two images into a third image between the two in the app.
I can’t do this one quite yet because I can’t get my eyes to work at the same time, but I’m sure it will be a part of my therapy in the near future.
I didn’t include this app because it is currently under construction and doesn’t work. I emailed the developers and they said they are redoing the app and it should be up and running by the end of march.
I’m definitely keeping my eye on this one, but as of today, March 1, 2019, it isn’t super useful.
Lazy Eye Games is a company with very similar games to the other apps I’ve mentioned. It also use the dichotic approach with 3D glasses. Their Tetris app works well, but some of the others aren’t effective. For some, you can’t adjust colors, others you can’t adjust difficulty, and some use too many colors that don’t work well with the glasses.
They are also $16.99 each! I just wasn’t impressed so I decided to use similar apps that had a better design and functionality component. They do have a few games that the other companies haven’t done yet like bubble shooter, a jumping game, and a flying game.
There is a picture in the bottom corner of every page of a young pirate with a snotty nose. Then he picks his nose. Even though the games are pretty good, I just can’t even handle the app. So disgusting. Anything offered in Captain Lazy Eye can be found in other apps so I am taking my business elsewhere. Also, I am so over being compared to a pirate…
How Do I Adjust the Colors For Dichoptic Games
When you are adjusting the colors you want to adjust the contrast so that the amblyopic eye (weak eye) has more contrast so that it is easier to see. You should make the strong eye have less contrast so that it balances the eyes and allows the eyes to work together.
In general, adjust so that your amblyopic eye is following the moving targets while the stronger eye follows stationary targets.
If the colors are adjustable, the app will give you directions on how to adjust the colors, just follow the process that they give and you’ll be on the right track.
Conclusion
These are my favorite apps and it is amazing to feel my eyes and brain working hard to coordinate efforts as I use them. It is pretty incredible to have this technology available. If you would like to know more about other programs, apps, and tools I have used for vision therapy, be sure to check out the recommended products page.
Good Luck. Be Awesome. Do Hard Things.