It’s no surprise that virtual reality (VR) headsets are at the top of many holiday wish lists. When you slip on that headset, it transports you to another world: standing at the top of a virtual mountain, flying in a hot air balloon, or battling monsters with a longsword.
VR promises instant access to immersive worlds, interactive games, and even a way to learn new skills. But before you surprise your child (or spouse!) with a VR headset, there’s something significant you should check first — their eyes.
Before you strap on that headset, it’s important to realize that VR headsets can potentially impact your eyes and visual system. To understand why, let’s review how the eyes work to empower you to “see” in both the physical and virtual worlds.
How Your Eyes Work in the Physical and Virtual Worlds
Humans have binocular vision, meaning that we have two eyes, spaced slightly apart. Each eye captures its own distinct information of what you “see” in your visual field, and sends its distinct image through the optic nerve to the brain. Your brain stitches together the two separate images and merges them into a single image with both depth and dimension. That’s how you see. Pretty cool, right?
But in the virtual world, it’s a little bit different. Though VR headsets mimic binocular vision by providing a separate image for each eye, the images are a high-resolution screen less than an inch from your eyeballs. The technology and lenses in the headset focus and reshape these two separate images into a 3D landscape that is convincing enough to your brain that you perceive it as expansive, even though the screen is mere centimeters from your face. That technological trick feels like magic, but is also a potential source of problems.
In order for VR technology to provide your visual system with a believable landscape, all elements of your visual system must work perfectly together. If the person using the headset has even a slight undiagnosed vision issue, the entire VR experience could cause discomfort or even result in harm to the development of a young person’s visual system.
Here are three reasons why you should have a comprehensive eye exam before buying a VR headset:
- VR Requires Strong Eye Teaming and Visual Coordination
As discussed, VR works by showing each of your eyes a slightly different image, which your brain stitches together to create a 3D image.
Eye Teaming is a visual skill in which your eyes work together to form a single, three-dimensional “image” of what both eyes are reporting to the brain. A person with good eye teaming can easily read without double vision and also change focus back-and-forth between objects at different distances.
If the eyes aren’t working together with superb coordination, adding the challenge of seeing in a VR headset can cause problems.
A slight eye misalignment (AKA binocular vision disorder) can cause the eyes to struggle as they try to work together to decipher the VR images. And while your child may have passed a school vision screening, know this: School vision screenings often don’t catch subtle eye coordination issues that can cause big problems if they’re not addressed. Only a comprehensive eye exam with your eye doctor can uncover such issues and address them.
When you use a VR headset without good eye teaming and visual coordination, the result can be eye strain, double vision, headaches, or dizziness. And that’s no fun.
- Poor Focusing or Depth Perception Can Make VR Uncomfortable
The screen in VR goggles is very close to the eyes, though the technology tricks the brain into seeing it as a vast expanse. That trick puts a heavy demand on your visual system. It’s a focusing challenge, because the eyes must rapidly shift between focal points while maintaining clear, comfortable vision. Focusing or depth perception problems make this difficult.
If your child has uncorrected farsightedness, astigmatism, or lazy eye, they may find VR headsets blurry or disorienting — and avoid the headset altogether. That’s not the ideal reaction to your holiday gift!
The good news is that an updated prescription from your optometrist could be the fix they need to solve the focusing challenge.
- Prevent Eyestrain and Protect Developing Vision
If you’re a parent, please know that VR headsets can put unusual stress and strain on your child’s developing eyes and their entire visual system. Using a VR headset for an extended period of time can cause dry eye, digital eye fatigue, and headaches, especially if they don’t take regular breaks.
Since VR headsets are a fairly new technology, we don’t have research on the long-term effects and risks associated with them. That’s why we recommend proceeding with caution.
Your optometrist can discuss your child’s particular visual risk profile with you, but generally speaking, start slow with VR sessions of 15 minutes or less. Take extended breaks between sessions to give eyes a break from the technological demands of VR.
Prioritize Healthy Vision over Technology
This holiday season, make our office one of your first stops. Your optometrist will provide guidance on healthy VR headset habits, including what symptoms to watch for, and how often kids and adults should take breaks to prevent eyestrain.
We’re here to support your gift of healthy vision as our top priority this season and all year through!
