Sit Closer to the VR, Kids, You'll See Better

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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Don't sit so close to the TV, you'll burn your eyes out! Any of you old farts remember that? I know you do. While we have seen reports that VR headsets can "ruin your eyes," there has not been any research behind that to prop it up. This report, Experiment Report on the Impact of Long-Term Use of Virtual Reality (VR) Head-Mounted Displays on the Vision of Pre-teen Users (PDF), actually has some data to back its statements up. While the research is limited in its scope, it actually looks to be well done (skipping the obvious cooked eyes joke) . And it is not all roses, but the "don't sit too close to the TV," thing seems to be pretty much washed up.

As the experimental data shows, subjective fatigue brought on by VR experience and visual fatigue brought on by tablets can be alleviated by a short rest. As for vision, the majority of pre -teen subjects reported that their vision was unchanged or even imp roved after the experiment; that is because of the considerable amount of simulated distance vision scenes used in VR. Meanwhile, according to the experimental data, a higher portion of VR subjects had improved vision compared with the subjects who used tablets continuously for 1 hour. In conclusion, for pre -teen users, VR HMDs and tablets have a similar influence on vision and using VR HMDs may have a more positive influence.
 
I always thought it was because of CRTs and firing electrons to a screen which gave off measurable radiation.
Switching to LCDs eliminated that issue.
 
I found this on another website:
"It depends how old your CRT is - if it is more than about 25 years old, then there may be some harmful ionising EM radiation (X-rays) emitted from the tube itself, and also from the flyback rectifier.

When it was discovered that X-rays were harmful, CRT designs were changed - tubes were made from lead glass (to provide shielding), voltages were strictly controlled (legal limit is about 27,000 V these days - before that 30-40,000 might not have been uncommon), and solid-state rectifiers no-longer emit X-rays."
So there may have been some truth to the old saying back when there were black and white crts/tvs
 
Pretty sure that as long as your eyes can comfortably focus on something without too much straining, that your vision shouldn't change. I think strain and fatigue are probably the main factors in something like this. So, if your HMD isn't making your eyes strain, then you're probably ok. I'm not a doctor, but that seems to coincide with my own experience. Same with anything I guess. Sit how you're comfortable sitting, type how you're comfortable typing. If you're feeling strained or fatigued, you're probably not doing it how it's right for you, or you need a break.
 
With a lot of the VR games requiring movement, I won't even be able to tell my kids they need to get exercise soon. I played a few Kinect games with my kids a few years ago and thought I was going to die from the physical activity. I would also have died if someone uploaded the video it captured - it was not a pretty sight.
MMO=socializing, VR=exercise.
Outdoors=sunlight=UV=cancer=wasps=mosqitos=disease.
 
GDI Lord said:
I remember my parents saying that, but you can go fart yourself for calling us old, you old fart! ;-)
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Hell I say it to my kids now...mostly because they have their ipads resting on their noses watching youtube for hours...so yea i don't care if there is research that says otherwise, I will still tell them to keep it off their faces...about half arms length i figure is ok...
 
natos said:
Hell I say it to my kids now...mostly because they have their ipads resting on their noses watching youtube for hours...so yea i don't care if there is research that says otherwise, I will still tell them to keep it off their faces...about half arms length i figure is ok...
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They are using them correctly. "Retina Display" If anything they should be CLOSER!!!
 
Hypergreatthing said:
I always thought it was because of CRTs and firing electrons to a screen which gave off measurable radiation.
Click to expand...
Hypergreatthing said:
"... voltages were strictly controlled (legal limit is about 27,000 V these days - before that 30-40,000 might not have been uncommon), and solid-state rectifiers no-longer emit X-rays."
Click to expand...
This is all true. I think 27 kV does reach into the range of X-ray, but it's relatively easy to shield.

The problem today, which I'm somewhat confident my daughter being a good example of, is the near constant looking on monitors at close range (smart phones, tablets and the like). This forces the (lenses in the) eyes to focus on close objects while spending very little time focusing on objects far away. There are indications that this over time leads to shortsightedness.
My 15 year old daughter has for the last five years or so spent most of her time awake looking at a tablet within arms reach(*), and now has to wear glasses. I suspect her constant focus on near objects is at least partially to blame.

(*) The reason for this actually being medical, in order to dampen mental fatigue caused by the combination of her having Asperger syndrom and her school, being ill organised, not being able to properly adapt their activities to her needs.
 
I think environment MAY also play a role.

Here on this side of the pacific, it's actually rare to find someone who don't have glasses or had some kind of laser surgery. I am an exception in that I am just on the threshold of legally required to wear glasses to drive, but my shortsightedness is light.

Unless it's in the genes, I think the main culprit is the city layout (it's actually difficult to see anything in a significant distance at the ground level because everything is either walled up to built up), and the fact that the parents here MUCH prefer having their kids stay at home and study than go outside and play, so their eyes are always staring at something close.
 
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