The skin sensors, which measure electrodermal activity and pulse speed, give administrators a better sense of the addicts' reactions. They might control their gaze, but they can't control their sweat or pulse.

In theory, this should lead to more effective treatments and fewer patients who lie to get out of rehab early. Whether or not it actually works is another matter. While experts recently approved VR addiction treeatment, The South China Morning Post noted that there's a distinct lack of "concrete results." More testing will be required to determine whether it's effective or just a dog and pony show. We wouldn't count on this reaching Western rehab, either. If nothing else, this illustrates the potential for eye tracking to play an important role in medicine.