Poor concentration is a feature of ADHD and depression, leading scientists to develop special glasses with lenses studded with tiny, semi-transparent dots to stimulate the brain.
Soon-to-be-published research shows that more than 80 per cent of people with attention difficulties reported an improvement after using the glasses for two months.
The maker says the glasses could potentially help with any condition that causes attention problems.
Depression and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), the conditions for which the glasses were devised, both count poor concentration among their symptoms. Chronic pain, stress and anxiety have also been linked to concentration difficulties, as have dementia, insomnia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Existing treatments, which range from medication to therapy, aren’t perfect. Antidepressants, for example, can help improve mood and increase concentration. But the pills, which work by balancing chemicals in the brain that affect mood and emotions, can cause side-effects such as nausea and loss of libido.
Meanwhile, there can be long waits for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a ‘talking therapy’ that helps people manage problems and which can be prescribed for depression, ADHD, anxiety, CFS and insomnia.
The idea behind the new Vizo glasses is that peripheral vision — seeing ‘out of the corner of the eye’ — evolved to monitor our surroundings for threats. This means that when we see something on the edge of our vision, our brain becomes alert and attentive.
Tapping into this theory, the lenses have semi-transparent dots, a few millimetres in size, around their edges. The idea is that, just as catching a glimpse of a potential danger out of the side of our eye focuses our attention, seeing the dots on the edge of our vision heightens concentration. The positioning of the dots is customised for each patient based on tests of concentration and eye movement.
The off-centre positioning of the dots means that they don’t affect central vision, which we use to see straight ahead when driving, reading and looking at faces. And its unlikely the dots will be noticed by those around us, the maker says.
The lenses can be prescription or plain — making them suitable for those who don’t normally wear glasses — and the glasses, which look like standard spectacles, can be used as and when required.
"Clinical studies have found that more than 80 per cent of people with attention challenges reported having an improvement after using the glasses," says the maker, which will publish further details of its research at the World Congress on ADHD in Amsterdam next month.
A clinical trial with more than 100 people with ADHD has just been completed in collaboration with the Max Stern Academic College in Israel. Patients used the glasses for two months and the before and after effects were compared.
Carmine Pariante, a consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Peripheral vision is important for arousal and attention, so the theoretical background is sound and interesting.
"However, trial results are needed before we can make any real judgment."
The glasses will go on sale in Israel this spring, ahead of being available in Europe, including the UK, next year. No price has yet been fixed.
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