In a rare bit of positive health press for the games industry, a new study in the US has claimed that playing games can help to improve an adult’s ‘contrast sensitivity’ – as aspect of vision that was previously believed to be unalterable.

Contrast sensitivity concerns a person’s ability to detect small changes in shades of grey on a uniform background, and is particularly useful in low light conditions, such as when driving at night.

The BBC reports that a team from the University of Rochester studied a number of FPS players as well as non-gamers. Whilst the gamers started out with improved context sensitivity from the off, the non-gamers saw theirs improve after intensive daily gaming practice.

It is hoped that the study will lead to the treatment of people suffering from ‘lazy eye’, as it is believed that gaming encourages the eyes to work in unison.