Darkness-based treatment ‘could aid lazy eye sufferers’

A new darkness-based treatment has been shown to benefit lazy eye sufferers.

Research conducted by Kevin Duffy and Donald Mitchell of Dalhousie University in Canada found exposure to darkness causes some parts of the visual system to revert to an early stage in development.

It was noted in their study that this could therefore prove to be a way to treat lazy eye without having to resort to drugs.

"Immersion in total darkness seems to reset the visual brain to enable remarkable recovery," said Mr Duffy.

Darkness must be absolute for the treatment to work, the authors noted in their report, explaining the technique should not be tried at home.

According to the NHS, lazy eye is a condition that usually occurs in children, with around one out of every 50 kids affected.

Amblyopia is the medical term for the condition and it is often diagnosed during routine eye tests before any problems have been spotted by the parents.