Realization of Game Mechanics in Virtual Reality for Amblyopia Treatment

Abstract

The number of Amblyopia cases has been constantly rising in the recent times. Difficulty in regular clinical visits for therapy has created a need for a monitored engaging home-based amblyopia treatment. In this regard, various technological designs are proposed of which gamified VR amblyopia treatment has showcased positive outcomes over time. However in this work, we identify a need to understand and improvise the gamified VR amblyopia treatment in terms of attentional & engaging elements for better engageability and ensure correlation of stimulus in the virtual environment to the real world for test efficacy. Additionally, correlating the distance and stimulus parameters in VR to the real world is showcased as a design guideline for which the visual acuity test yielded a positive correlation (r =0.845, p =0.002 at $\alpha =0.01$ , N =10). To identify the XR interaction game mechanics promoting engagement and motivation in users for regular treatment, a user based study is conducted. The identified game mechanics with a cognitive task load (NASA TLX, M =12.26) are later mapped with the recognised amblyopia characteristics to propose a prototype of XR amblyopic game mechanics. The prototype is evaluated for motivational and engagement factors through Octalysis (Score =332). System Usability Scale and Nielsen’s Heuristic Evaluation are further used to evaluate the design by the experts. Results obtained (SUS, M =72.8 & Heuristics, M >60% and N =10) demonstrate the potential usability of the prototype as home-based gamified amblyopia treatment.