This year was a boom year of virtual reality glasses. Names like Google Cardboard, Hourus, Orculus, Homido... are increasingly well known. However, many people wonder with the close distance plus immersion in the virtual space, will the virtual reality glasses affect users’ health?
Early this year, Rony Abovitz - CEO of Magic Leap (a new VR startup) has stirred the technology community when saying that virtual reality glasses were capable of long-term effects to the nervous system.
New technology is safer?
Abovitz singled the 3D stereoscopic technology used by Olucus, Microsoft and Samsung, the competitors of Magic Leap.
When replying to AMA thread (Aks me anything) on Reddit, he believed that stereoscopic 3D “could cause a series of short or long term neurological disorders.” He also said that “the maxim of our company is not leave any “footprints” on your brain. Our brain is very flexible (Neuroplastic), and no doubt the stereoscopic 3D system is capable of altering the nervous system. Personally, I have experienced some type of glasses, and of course will not use them anymore, especially when the digital light field system upcoming and much safer.”
The words above are clearly talking about how Magic Leap access to practical interactive technology. This company is a startup with more than $ 4.5 billion market value. But we all know that their products will use a tiny projector right before the eyes of people. Abovizt has described this approach as “respect biological aspect of the optic nerve system safely and profoundly.”
Interpretation of the experts
Despite the fact that virtual reality system can cause unwanted manifestations such as fatigue, headache and nausea, there is no evidence to suggest wearing VR stereoscopic 3D glasses affects long-term health. “There is no evidence at all”, quoted Martin Banks, a professor of ophthalmology of the University of California, Berkeley. “People are making petty arguments about the risk of damage to health as it could be true. But I do not see anything. All these accusations are only words of mouth, there is nothing to fear.”
If virtual reality glasses are not designed properly, what wearers see will not be adjusted to the rhythm of the head. This leads to the uncomfortable symptoms in a short time after not using VR lens, until these symptoms disappear. But there is no basis for the long-term impact to the nerve.
The second issue of VR lens is a conflict between vitreous stretch – separate motion adjustment, what MagicLeap users are not affected. Separate motion adjustment divides us from double image symptoms. Depending on distances we see, the pupils will move in different ways. With regulatory reflex, vitreous will inflate or go down so that we can see clearly objects.
Humans have evolved to operate two systems in parallel. In fact, you can see a monochromatic picture then the eyes will regulate to make it sharper. But with 3D stereoscopic glasses, the system is uninterrupted. Eyes will focus on the front screen to see the images shown up there, but to see more sharply eyes must focus immediately on the screen. Thus, it can cause some side effects on some people.
Clifton Schor, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California has said, in the long term, users’ vision will be improved. So, if you really have the opportunity to test virtual reality glasses, pay attention to the short-term side effects, but with long-term hazards to health, there is nothing to fear at all.
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