Sight Training Diary: Adam Riley Tests His Eyes

By Adam Riley 24.11.2007 12

Nintendo has already had massive success with its two Brain Training products, as well as English Training across mainland Europe, with them all selling many millions of copies.  Now it is your eyes that are to be tested in Sight Training.  Eager to see how well this new programme really works, Cubed³'s Adam Riley decided to keep a diary to chart the age of his eyes.  Does the programme really help to improve various aspects of your vision, or is this simply one training product too far?

Image for Sight Training Diary: Adam Riley Tests His Eyes

Day One: 21st October, 2007

The copy of Sight Training arrives and without any messing around, out of its package it pops and speedily finds its way into my DS.  Off we go!  By now most of us will be used to the approach taken by the Brain Training games, with their minimal use of visuals and healthy dose of laid-back music.  Of course, this time round there is no Dr. Kawashima face emblazoned on the title screen, with the main 'characters' in Sight Training being strange, wobbly people that appear to have no bones!  As for the music, there is a mixture of cheesy synth with tinkling bells that is extremely pleasant, non-intrusive and, in fact, kind of reminiscent of some of the music from Wave Race 64…whilst other tunes are surprisingly similar to those found in the Mario Kart franchise.

Image for Sight Training Diary: Adam Riley Tests His EyesAnyway, with nice, clear visuals and a very intuitive set of menu screens, it means everything is a breeze to navigate through, which is exactly what is required for a product primarily aimed at the 'non-gamer' sector.  So, getting on with the show, since it is my first time with Sight Training I am encouraged to go through an early test scenario.  This is broken down into three quick sessions, the first being one where I must quickly tap on various red boxes as they appear on-screen, catching them before they then disappear once more.  The second has a set of numbers flash briefly on the screen, leaving the gamer to then input the number afterwards on a standard number pad.  Finally, the last test is the old coin under a cup game, where you must follow the cup with the coin in as it and two empty cups are spun around rapidly.  Completing these three in the quickest and most accurate way leaves me with the sad fact that despite being 25, my eyes are apparently in their 40s.

Going off this result, the game then figures out the best day's training for my eyes, which this time is, quite unsurprisingly, 'Learn the Basics!  Trial Workout'.  To start with, the first task is Symbol Order, where there are twelve empty boxes spread over the two DS screens and a C shape appears in any of those boxes a total of three times, each time pointing in a different direction (up, right, down or left) and appearing in a random box.  This re-occurs at a faster rate each time you input the three directions correctly.  The goal of Symbol Order is to improve your Eye Movement and the ability to shift focus between targets rapidly, such as when you are reading.  The breakdown of scoring is eight points per correct answer and two points for each speed level you reach.  I achieved nine out of ten correct and reached a speed level of eight, meaning my total came to 88/100, which is an 'Advanced' rating and comes complete with a cool looking guy clicking his fingers.  And because of the rating achieved, it appears a 'Hard' mode has now been opened for the next time this test comes around.

Completing the first test means I get the chance to stamp today's date, just as you do with Brain Training, and the reward for one stamp in Sight Training is that 'Custom Training' has now opened up, meaning any activity can be attempted as many times as desired.  On to test two and this time it is Middle Match.  This has players checking a 'C' symbol in the centre of the screen and then trying to find the corresponding directional 'C' on an outer circle of 'C's all pointing in different directions.  At first it starts out quite simple, as you would expect, with the 'C' in the centre lingering for a while, giving your eyes time to scout out the 'C' on the outer circle that is pointing in the same direction.  As it speeds up, though, the 'C's disappear quicker, meaning you need to rely on your peripheral vision to seek out the right answer.  On my first go I got 88/100, meaning 'Advanced', reaching speed level 8, with 9 correct out of 10.  The reason for practicing this one more is that it leads to being able to spot objects in an area outside your central vision, like when tracking an opponent's movement in sports whilst concentrating on what you are currently doing.  It should be noted that failing to get the right answer on one particular level brings the speed level down a notch, meaning the levels of frustration are definitely reduced and you are not left floundering.  But get many right answers in a row and the speed increases considerably and things do suddenly become very hectic indeed!

The third test is Baseball, where the aim is to tap the thrown ball as it either enters the on-screen box or reaches the white line on the gauge on the left-side of the screen.  Depending on how well you connect with the ball you can score a Home Run, Triple, Double or Single…or just miss completely by swinging too early or late.  This tests your Dynamic Visual Acuity and Hand-Eye Co-ordination in tandem, and clearly these two elements together are not my forte since I only got 54/100, being rated as an Amateur!  Ah well, onwards and upwards…The fourth and final challenge is Boxing, where a hooded chap holding mitts lifts them up into different positions, sometimes one at a time, other times both together, and even does dummy lifts before lifting the other hand up quickly to try and catch you off-guard.  The aim is to tap the centre of each mitt before he puts them down again.  At certain times a directional arrow will appear on-screen and a quick stylus swipe in that direction is required to dodge his punch.  This really does prove to be lots of fun and on the first go I ended up with Pro status due to a score of 90/100 (39 hits, 31 'clean' - in other words centre of the mitt and the maximum level of 10 reached).  This test covers Peripheral Vision, Eye Movement and Hand-Eye Co-ordination together.

Following the day's tests, the game puts you through the Eye Relaxation exercises, where a soothing female voice talks you through different eye movements and stretches whilst gentle piano music plays in the background.  "And relax…"  This is followed by a typically US style 'Nice Job!' flashing up on the screen, complete with the game's funny little pixel men standing around cheering.

Day Two: 22nd October, 2007

Today I am going to try a little afternoon eye training, rather than a later session like yesterday, and to start with the game treats me to some Eye Knowledge.  The screen shows a cross-section of the eye, with the retina highlighted.  The retina reacts to bright lights defensively, making you blink, as it is sensitive to such light.  It needs protecting due to it being the part of the eye that converts images you see into signals for the brain to understand.  Anyway, my Eye Age Check today gives me a score of 31, a good six years above my real age, but not bad considering my eyes feel very dry and tired today, plus a big improvement on the first day's Eye Age.  This results in Day 2's training session being 'Focus on the Basics! Core Workout', which starts with:

  • Box Track: Amazingly I manage to get a 100/100 score, albeit on just the normal level, which shows my Dynamic Visual Acuity is certainly up to scratch today, giving me an Advanced rating since I hit the maximum level of 10 and made no mistakes at all.  As a result, a second stamp is added to the calendar and Table Tennis opens up for play later on.
  • Number Flash: 90/100 is my score, again on normal, showing my momentary vision is certainly decent enough and the programme informs me to keep practicing this in order to improve my instant judgement.
  • Symbol Order: 58/100 on the hard mode that was opened yesterday, which gives a rating of Intermediate as I only got six right, annoyingly.  What I realised afterwards is that on this you can take as much time as you like inputting the answer, rather than rushing and making careless mistakes (like I did - well, that is my excuse for now!).
  • Box Tap: 84/100 on normal level, getting 36/40 correct overall and achieving an Advanced tag due to my Hand-Eye Co-ordination being quite good.  This score has now opened the same task, but its Hard Mode version.

    NICE JOB! (Two stick men playing catch with a square baseball - I see this 'Nice Job' thing being somewhat of a recurring theme each day…)

    Image for Sight Training Diary: Adam Riley Tests His Eyes

    Day Three: 24th October, 2007

    After skipping yesterday due to being too tired, I wondered just how much my Eye Age would be affected by the absence of training.  However, my fears were quashed as I hit a score of 29 - only a slight improvement, but better all the same.  It should be noted that the initial tests this time were much harder due to the Age from the other day.  Clearly the initial test adapts to your previous result.  The eye tip today is that running in the dark or driving seems faster as the field of vision is reduced, meaning things appear 'out of nowhere' quicker, rather than slowly phasing into view.  Sight Training also mentions that doing your Eye Age check three times per week is sufficient to get an accurate reading of your eyes' progress.  Good to know as now I no longer feel guilty about skipping a day!  Today's training session is 'Cover Your Bases! Balanced Workout':

  • Box Track: 66/100 achieved on hard mode, Intermediate rating.  Three stamps on the calendar now means the new task of 'Letter Count' is unlocked.
  • Number Flash: 66/100 on hard, rated as 'Intermediate', thanks to me only getting seven correct.
  • Box Tap: 68/100, again on hard mode, giving yet another Intermediate rating and showing that today I am definitely off my game…but then again these hard modes really are tricky! (any excuse, right?)
  • Baseball: Finally a sports game, but not one I can do as I end up with just 49/100, ranking as an Amateur!  Trying to get a Home Run just was not happening, with me only getting just the one Triple.
  • NICE JOB! (Two stick men leaning to one side)

    …Except it certainly was not a 'nice job' by me and I certainly need to train harder.  So off I slink to the Core and Sports Training sections.  Rather than going over them all, let me just briefly mention the new game, 'Letter Count'.  It has a letter appear at the top-left of the upper screen, then it moves right across the screen, then down and back left, then down and right again, ending the run by going down one last time and all the way left, all the time quickly changing to other letters of the alphabet, with the objective being to count how many times, for example, the letter P appears.  At first it seems ridiculously easy as it moves at a sedate pace, changing really slowly.  Eventually, though, the speed increases so much that your eyes start playing tricks on you.  I can see this one being a personal favourite over time.  Table Tennis is also another favourite, as it plays rather like Arkanoid, moving the panel on the lower screen from side-to-side to return the ball.  You can also move the paddle slightly into the screen as well, meaning you return shots earlier, but you need to remember to not be cocky with these return shots as the computer cannot actually be beaten, no matter how many fancy hits you do…All that ends up happening is you get yourself in a sticky situation when it fires back at you at rocket speed!

    Day Four: 25th October, 2007

    Straight away I am hit with some advice: try your own DVA exercise by reading signs as you pass them on the train or bus (is this not the same advice as in Brain Training?), except do it by just moving your eyes and they will adapt over time (ah, slightly different to Kawashima's tip of quickly reading).  Today's Eye Age is again 29, with my DVA staying the same, Momentary Vision improving, Eye Movement slightly improving, Peripheral Vision staying the same and Hand-Eye Co-ordination actually dropping.  This gives me the 'Focus on Basics!  Core Workout!' session again (a very quick overview is below):

  • Box Track: Hard level, 68/100, level 6 speed reached, 7 correct answers and a total of four stamps now, which opens up another sport task in the form of Basketball.
  • Number Flash: Hard level, 76/100, level 6 reached again, but 8 correct this time.
  • Symbol Order: Hard level once more, 76/100, level 6, 8 correct.  Quite decent scores today, if I do say so myself!
  • Letter Count: Normal level, 78/100, level 7, Advanced rating attained (thus opening up the harder difficulty level), with 8 correct answers.
  • NICE JOB! (Three people today, two doing hand-stands, whilst the other lies on its back)

    Table Tennis and Boxing are definitely becoming my favourites on the sports side, possibly because I am now at the stage where I get an All-Star rating each and every time, even on the hard level.  But the new challenge that opened up today is pretty cool as well.  What happens in Basketball is that players zoom onto the screen from the left and right, some of them in red and some in white shirts.  They all then turn into silhouettes and you must tap on your team mates (the ones in white) to 'pass the ball'.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, when things start to speed up and they silhouette almost instantaneously, it takes a lot of concentration to first of all distinguish which colour is which and then recall where your white-shirted players are.  For the purposes of this diary, on my first attempt on normal mode, I achieved an 88/100 score, which is Pro, getting 9 out of the 10 correct.  So clearly it starts off pretty simple, but is definitely got much harder at the higher speed, with full concentration required.  The task tests your Momentary Vision, Eye Movement and Peripheral Vision, all at the same time.  I would say it tests your short-term memory as well, just like many other tasks in Sight Training, to be honest.

    Image for Sight Training Diary: Adam Riley Tests His Eyes

    Day Five: 27th October, 2007

    Okay, so this time I am actually playing at the latest I have ever played Sight Training - around 10:00pm, and my eyes feel really tired.  But hey, let us see how I get on!  Today's piece of Eye Knowledge is that in the Japanese martial art of fencing, 'kendo', it is said the glance is the secret.  This means how you focus on the opponent and where you focus your attention.  You need to capture both the opponent's eyes, as well as their whole body.  Anyway, on with my Eye Age Check: 30!  Well, I kind of expected them to be bad, but it is still disappointing to see that I am now getting worse than previous days…My DVA dropped dramatically, Momentary Vision improved, Eye Movement stayed the same, Peripheral Vision was unchanged and HEC stayed similar.  Today's training, therefore, is 'Cover your Bases!  Balanced Workout'.

  • Box Track: 80/100, only falling on the last two when my eyes went crazy!  This gives me an Expert rating, complete with a scary man bending up and down…This has opened up a new challenge in the form of 'Circle Spot'.
  • Letter Count: 68/100 on hard, and the letters really do change super-fast on the higher levels!
  • Baseball: 59/100 on normal, as I cannot seem to open hard…I got a Home Run this time, one Triple, two Doubles and four Singles, but I really need to focus hard on improving this side.
  • Basketball: 100/100 on hard!  Oh my…wow!  That was rather unexpected and gives me a rating of MVP, complete with a stick man jumping in the air with blocky confetti floating around.  Seems using my Momentary Vision, Eye Movement and Peripheral Vision together is suddenly my forte.  This has now opened up a new stamp style in the options…
  • NICE JOB! (Two block guys cycle off into the distance)

    But, as always, it is time to train on the other games, starting this time with the sports side, with Boxing: 83/100, All Star on Hard, but that still is not a record score.  As for Table Tennis: 84/100, All Star on Hard, but again not a high score.  On the core training section, let us start with Number Flash: 66/100, Intermediate…but I was distracted as my wife walked in (poor excuse, I know!).  Symbol Order: 88/100, Expert on Hard and twelve points higher than my previous record.  Middle Match: 76/100, Expert on Hard and way higher than my previous score of 58.  Box Tap: 70/100, Advanced on Hard, but lower than the last attempt as I floundered after missing two early on, totally throwing me off.  Finally, we have the new task of Circle Spot, where you have to spot the circle (wow!) amongst other C symbols.  So they all flash on the screen quickly and you must identify the lone circle.  100/100, Advanced rating - not a bad start, but only on the normal setting, of course, as the hard had yet to be unlocked.  This tests your Momentary Vision, by the way, letting you instantly identify objects entering your field of vision.

    Day Six: 28th October, 2007

    Today's training kicks off with some information about the cornea, the very front part of the eye, the thin membrane that covers the iris.  Apparently the cornea is 300 times more sensitive than human skin, which is why even a speck of dust can cause such irritation, thus making tears appear to help wash dirt away.  If damaged, your eyesight will be adversely affected, so the natural reaction is protective response.  Anyway, today's Eye Check gives me an age of 29…wow, I really am struggling to improve my Eye Age.  It certainly does not look like I am going to reach the ideal age of 20 by the end of this diary, which is…today, in fact!

    The training chosen, despite my results being practically the same as yesterday (making me feel the selection is random), is 'Put It to the Test! Sports Workout', meaning the focus is on all four sports unlocked so far.  Baseball: On Normal level, 71/100, Semi-Pro and now I have six stamps meaning the Volleyball game has been unlocked.  Basketball: 88/100 on Hard, All-Star.  Boxing: 87/100, New Record - All-Star.  Finally, Table Tennis: 80/100, All-Star.

    NICE JOB! (Two block guys lay on their backs looking up at a blocky butterfly with their legs crossed)

    Rather than go through the motions of the core and sports training exercises that are remaining, let me just give you an overview of the Volleyball game that was unlocked earlier.  This is based on spiking the ball, with the volleyball being set up for the spike and the player having to hit it when it lands in the on-screen orange box and you must avoid the opponents when returning the ball.  This is harder than it sounds as the ball floats gently in the air sometimes before finally reaching the orange box, then you must tap it at the right time or else the opponents block the shot.  Anyway, on my first attempt I achieved 62/100, Amateur rating, sadly, meaning no hard mode for me just yet.  Better luck next time…

    Well, that day was actually the last day of training that was noted, for fear of dragging out the feature longer than necessary.  It was certainly a fun time working my way through Sight Training, even though I was unable to reach the ideal age of 20, and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone that enjoyed both Brain Training and More Brain Training…Expect the actual review in the next couple of days here on Cubed³!
    Box art for Sight Training: Enjoy Exercising and Relaxing Your Eyes
    Also known as

    Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day

    Developer

    Bandai Namco

    Publisher

    Nintendo

    Genre

    Educational

    Players

    2

    C3 Score

    Rated $score out of 10  8/10

    Reader Score

    Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

    European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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    Comments

    Thanks a lot Adam this is much appreciated. I actually need something like this as I have a eye condition and I think this will help. I think the game was initially designed for those in the in their twilight years, but I reckon those in my situation could benefit also from such a product. When I have check up's I have to already test my Peripheral Vision but those checks are every six months or longer, therefore someone like me I think could benefit from it.



    ( Edited 20.12.2012 14:47 by Guest )

    "I'm a tool, I'm a tool, I'm a huge huge tool."


    Impressive stuff raz, though without a rating of any kind my puny mind can't tell if it's good or not.

    Less posty, more gamey.

    8/10 - will that do for you Smilie I'll try and get the actual review done as well soon. Was in hospital on Wednesday and am just recovering at home right now... Smilie

    Hope this in-depth look at the game helps people to better understand how it works, at least.

    Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

    UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

    I do believe I saw a ad on TV the other day, it was being advertised alongside BT2.


    Hope this in-depth look at the game helps people to better understand how it works, at least.

    Just adding the pun Smilie. It has done and thanks. Take it easy Adam, rest well and get back to full health whatever it was.

    Should just say, I've seen the adverts for this and they really are ridiculous. The voice-over talks about improving your vision and relaxing your eyes, whilst on-screen text makes clear that the game cannot improve your vision or alter pre-existing eye conditions.

    This is partly because people generally have problems making a distinction between vision and sight. This game cannot improve your sight since it can't alter your eyes. If you're short sighted, you'll still be short sighted. If you've got problems moving your eyes this won't really make a difference.

    What it might alter are your perceptual abilities, like visual acuity, ability to discriminate between different stimuli or to track multiple objects. These are nothing to do with your eye and everything to do with your brain.

    LS: it's not going to alter your peripheral vision as the DS screen is too small to count as peripheral.

    "This man has advanced communist views ... He dresses in a bohemian fashion both at his office and in his leisure hours."

    Dr_R said:
    Should just say, Ive seen the adverts for this and they really are ridiculous. The voice-over talks about improving your vision and relaxing your eyes, whilst on-screen text makes clear that the game cannot improve your vision or alter pre-existing eye conditions.This is partly because people generally have problems making a distinction between vision and sight. This game cannot improve your sight since it cant alter your eyes. If youre short sighted, youll still be short sighted. If youve got problems moving your eyes this wont really make a difference. What it might alter are your perceptual abilities, like visual acuity, ability to discriminate between different stimuli or to track multiple objects. These are nothing to do with your eye and everything to do with your brain.LS: its not going to alter your peripheral vision as the DS screen is too small to count as peripheral.

    I thought it could show me if me if my peripheral vision was deteriating, something which is a indicator of the worsening of my condition. I guess your right though, it does not have the expanse needed to conduct such tests properly. There is also the issue of light pollution.

    Maybe if you pressed your nose on the touch screen in the dark, and instead of a clicky used the microphone to log dot flashes in the top screen ?. Smilie

    ( Edited on 29.11.2007 07:19 by Linkyshinks )

    LS:

    That would just give you a headache from trying to focus too close to you!

    Really, this software is a piece of tat that cobbles together several standard optometric test and some game variations of visual psychophysical experiments. The 'relax your eyes' pretext of the biggest load of crap I've ever seen. As someone who does these kinds of experiments regularly, I know for a fact that there's nothing relaxing about them. They give you a headache if you're doing them properly.

    "This man has advanced communist views ... He dresses in a bohemian fashion both at his office and in his leisure hours."

    It's a shame you feel like that, Dr_R, since I found it worked very well...and I've definitely found that the more I play the more my eyes are being conditioned to notice things quicker/better than before. I'm still only at the Eye Age of 24, but I've been making gradual progress whilst only playing on and off over the past few weeks...You're certainly going to disagree with the review I post shortly then!

    Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

    UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

    Not at all raz,

    I'm sure it's actually very good fun and an enjoyable product. It's just the dodgy pseudo-science that they employ that bugs me.

    "This man has advanced communist views ... He dresses in a bohemian fashion both at his office and in his leisure hours."

    I have a screen cover that ruins the calibration of my screen - so some of the games that need precise accuracy i'm really bad at...
    Not played this in a few weeks now - but my mum still plays it a lot Smilie

    Avoid Games Like the Plague, productivity++

    jesusraz said:
    Its a shame you feel like that, Dr_R, since I found it worked very well...and Ive definitely found that the more I play the more my eyes are being conditioned to notice things quicker/better than before. Im still only at the Eye Age of 24, but Ive been making gradual progress whilst only playing on and off over the past few weeks...Youre certainly going to disagree with the review I post shortly then!

    Lolz, maybe it's the placebo effect Adam, or alernatively since coming out of hospital your health is regaining and you are mistaking it for a improvement in your vision?. Thing is I agree with the Dr's assesment.

    Nah, it's the same as Brain Training. You're getting better at the specific tasks, but performance improvement won't widen to other things.

    I'm planning on getting the game soon enough. If anyone is interested I'll try and post some detailed impressions (and comment on the science if anyone's really, really interested).

    "This man has advanced communist views ... He dresses in a bohemian fashion both at his office and in his leisure hours."

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