Can An App Improve Your Eyesight? Riverside Professor Says Interactive Program Reduces Blurring

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A local professor is championing the benefits of an interactive app he says can improve eyesight.

Aaron Seitz, a professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside, is the brains behind UltimEyes.

Seitz says his team has tested the app on LAPD pilots, UCR baseball team players and other students, and some saw improvement beyond normal 20/20 vision.

"Eyesight is really important and there's a number of places I'm trying to push this. One is for athletics - where you need a competitive advantage," he said.

The app works by prompting users to click on fuzzy, blurry blobs shown against a hazy gray background, exercising the visual cortex - the part of our brain that controls vision - and strengthening the brain eyes in the process.

Third-year student Madeline Bui took part in the study. She says she still needs to wear her contacts but can see more clearly with them in.

"It's easier for me. I don't have to sit so close in front... I can see better during lectures," she said.

Seitz says the app isn't going to allow people to get rid of their eye glasses or contacts, but rather aims to improve the way users' brains process the information coming from their eyes, which can then improve vision.

"We're not going to necessarily cure them but definitely improve their lifestyle," Seitz said.

The app can be downloaded on a computer or iPad for $6.