Prolonged 3D Viewing Experience Can Damage Eyes

                        3D Movie Glasses                      Photo taken via WikipediaMost of us are probably familiar with the new trend of movie experience today. Adults and children alike are now fond of watching movies in an exciting manner with the help of 3D technology in cinemas. Many of my friends that have experience these 3D movie adventures have found it quite breath-taking and adrenaline-pumping when watching it. It's like your favorite action star/cartoon is in front of you fighting the evil villain.

Indeed, technology today is fast growing. It grows so fast, that we who are engaged on such techno experience daily, are not aware about what it might do to our bodies' health.


In an article that I found in TechCrunch, it was observed by a group of researchers at the University of California, Berkley, that viewing on 3D stereo display for a long period of time will hurt (or probably damage) the eyes and the brain of its viewers. Experiments were done on 24 adults by the research team. The term referred to be the caused of such discomfort is "vergence-accomodation", which means that the eyes are constantly trying to adjust its focus on both the physical screen and the 3D content. By the continuing adjustment of the eyes to the big screen and the live 3D effect throughout the entire movie, fatigue comes into play which will later result to discomforts and headaches.

According in the article written by Martin S. Banks, "The Zone of Comfort: Predicting Visual Discomfort With Stereo Displays",  “When watching stereo 3D displays, the eyes must focus — that is, accommodate — to the distance of the screen because that’s where the light comes from. At the same time, the eyes must converge to the distance of the stereo content, which may be in front of or behind the screen.”

The article also adds that it is uncomfortable to view 3D contents over a short distance (e.g. desktops and smartphones) when the stereo contents are placed in front of the screen. While in a movie theater, the opposite of it happens. Stereo contents that are placed behind the screen gives greater pain or nuisance than scenes are in front the viewers.

Sources:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/22/who-could-have-guessed-3d-hurts-your-eyes/
http://www.journalofvision.org/content/11/8/11.abstract