Influence on vision of virtual reality helmets. Virtual reality glasses: do they spoil the eyes

On March 28, the era of virtual reality officially began. The first helmet of the new generation Oculus Rift went on sale.

The possibility of the most complete immersion in a fictional three-dimensional world has long attracted bigwigs from the entertainment and IT sectors, but to do mass device Nobody has succeeded in virtual reality so far. Thanks to the Oculus Rift helmet, March 28th may be the date such a device arrived.

However, no matter how successful the new product or its competitors in the form of HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR and Sony PlayStation VR prove to be a success or, on the contrary, a failure, the fact is obvious: these helmets can create the illusion of being in a virtual world as strong as any other device. hitherto. Of course, we do not take into consideration specialized virtual reality complexes that are in the service of the military and special civilian services.

All these years, virtual reality was out of the mass market, and the participants in laboratory experiments were observed by many specialists by default, if only because of the huge cost of the equipment. Entering the mass market of VR devices ( common abbreviation forVirtual Reality - literally "virtual reality") raises questions to society that manufacturers of these devices are in no hurry to answer: how safe is it, what are the rules for use, and can most consumers really use virtual reality helmets without harm to health.

This "frivolity" can be explained by two main reasons. The main and main prosaic is the pursuit of commercial gain, because the sooner the product is released, the more money the manufacturer will earn and the greater the market share will be able to win. It would seem that regulatory authorities should limit the appetite for profit, but here the manufacturers of VR helmets have a saving excuse: formally, virtual reality helmets have been produced for more than a dozen years and have not caused any significant problems for users.

New or well-forgotten old?

Here, however, two things need to be clarified. All helmets without exception previous generations failed in the mass market and spread with a maximum circulation of several thousand, which means that there can be no talk of any mass experience of using it. And secondly, they could not even come close to boasting such an impact on a person as a new generation of devices.

By and large, previous attempts to transfer the player to virtual space were reduced to the fact that the static monitor screen was reduced and turned into a low-quality helmet screen in front of the player's eyes, sometimes with some effect of stereoscopy (volumetric vision). Fundamental difference of the new generation of devices is that they quite accurately convey the movement of the head in virtual space, and some models even recognize the movement of the player in the room, including his hands, and correlate with the game character.

Such, at first glance, a trifle radically changes the user's perception: the brain quickly begins to associate itself with a virtual body (protagonist), and this association is fundamentally more complete than when reading a picture from a monitor or TV. But a number of potential problems and threats follow from this, starting with dizziness and nausea, which almost all owners of new products experience, ending with possible mental disorders after long-term use in games associated, for example, with violence. In order to determine possible harm and the benefits of virtual reality helmets, we spoke with experts in the field of psychology and psychotherapy, and also conducted several experiments.

Can a new generation virtual reality helmet harm the psyche?

Olga Dobrushina, neurologist, CEO International Institute psychosomatic health:

- Can a computer game, movie or book harm the psyche? There are many factors here - it all depends on the type of personality, on how much a person is immersed in a virtual environment. A virtual reality helmet, perhaps, really gives a greater immersion effect compared to a computer, however this question still needs scientific evidence. Among the side effects of VR helmets, which are indicated by the manufacturers themselves, are dizziness and nausea, in very rare cases (1 in 4000) convulsions and epileptic seizures.

However, already now we can state that with caution it is necessary to use a helmet for people with psychological disorders, such as impaired perception, problems in mental development etc. It is worth refusing to use a helmet for those who are in a state of depression or anxiety disorder.

We were able to draw these conclusions thanks to great experience work with these devices: our institution has been cooperating for several years with the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University, where research is being carried out on virtual reality and its impact on humans.

The neurologist especially noted that, as in the case of computer games, it is necessary to clearly distinguish real life and virtual life: do not run away to a beautiful virtual world from solving problems. And the main risk group here is represented by children and adolescents, as well as people with a tendency to addictive behavior. Nevertheless, to confirm the thesis that a helmet is more harmful than some more familiar means of computer leisure, there are not enough statistics on its use and specialized studies.

Sergey Martynov, psychotherapist, general director of the center psychological help"Clearlight" :

My advice to anyone who has doubts before using a VR helmet is not to be lazy and consult with a psychotherapist who is familiar with the negative effects of VR. Despite the fact that the technology is really new and there is no medical practice yet, a psychotherapist will certainly be able to point you to possible complications or negative effects that you may experience.

The universal warnings are as follows - it is worth refraining from virtual reality for pregnant women, the elderly and people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, epilepsy and other severe mental illnesses, as well as visual impairments. Children under 13 should not play with helmets, or use them under adult supervision. No one should play for a long time, regardless of gender and age, because this can adversely affect hand-eye coordination, balance and the ability to multitask.

The International Institute of Psychosomatic Health was one of the first in Russia to start treating certain mental disorders by immersing the patient in virtual reality. We did not fail to take advantage of the experience of the institute's specialists and set up several experiments. The first of these was devoted to a therapy session involving a patient suffering from arachnophobia (pathological fear of spiders).

As it turned out, in addition to various phobias, VR helmets are used to treat anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, as well as to diagnose and train cognitive functions (memory, attention, spatial thinking, etc.). The treatment of aerophobia, a common disorder in which a person is afraid to use airplanes, shows particular productivity.

In the most severe cases, panic attacks occur even at the sight of some details of the interior of the aircraft cabin. Thanks to virtual reality technology, the patient is first shown toy models of aircraft, then more and more similar to real aircraft, they offer the person to go inside the aircraft, take off, and gradually increase the time of the virtual flight. In combination with psychotherapy, you can get a very good and fast result.

However, this is where one of the biggest dangers lies. official statistics There are now more than 10 million patients in the world suffering from various phobias. If we take into account that a considerable part of people do not recognize their mental disorder, the actual number may increase several times. And since modern virtual reality helmets are so well immersed in the situation that they can be a medicine, it means that their uncontrolled use can cause harm comparable in strength.

A person who has, for example, a hidden fear of open spaces (agoraphobia) suddenly finds himself in a game situation in the middle of a huge field and goes into a state of panic. Such stressful situation depending on the strength of the exposure, it can provoke side effects - from a short-term disorder of perception and poor health to a heart attack.

Alas, the "bright" side is best studied new technology- that is, its application in psychotherapy. All experts agree that there are neither sufficient statistics nor clinical studies to introduce any regulatory rules. However, we can give recommendations that could protect you and your loved ones.

First of all, you should be honest with yourself, if you know about any problems, even if you yourself do not consider them serious, carefully study the multimedia product (game, movie) that you will view in the helmet. Prepare a place for the game: remove sharp and fragile objects, most users, under the influence of the picture, begin to move, as in the game, and even dodge hits. If the game may contain scenes that you would find unpleasant, ask the other person to stay with you, it is not at all necessary to tell him about the reason - he is unlikely to refuse to get acquainted with the technical novelty.

All games entering the market are subject to mandatory certification with age and scenes listed, whether it be violence, drug use, obscene language, etc. Obviously, if virtual reality technology really becomes mainstream, additional certification will be needed indicating potentially traumatic scenes when using VR helmets. But until this happens, health care is exclusively in your hands.

Like any new technology, VR helmets take time. Who knows, perhaps in the near future in our city clinics, virtual reality therapy sessions will become as commonplace as, for example, physiotherapy, and home entertainment content will be guaranteed to be safe.

What is virtual reality?

Virtual reality is created with the help of technical and software a virtual world that is transmitted to a person through hearing, as well as vision and, in some cases, touch and smell.

Let's talk in more detail about the most advanced, to date, virtual reality system - the system HTC VIVE.

HTC VIVE system is a helmet, game controllers and motion sensors. All this is connected to a computer. Thanks to the motion sensors and cameras built into the helmet and game controllers, there is a clear reading of all player movements. This allows you to experience the effect of complete immersion in virtual reality, feel yourself in the very center of the game, interacting with the virtual environment and moving safely in the game area. talking plain language, the user turns his head - the character also turns his head, the person steps in his room - the player moves in interactive reality.

How harmful and dangerous is virtual reality?

Of course, first of all, parents “sound the alarm”, opposing computer games in general, and even more so against virtual reality games. Perhaps, in some individual cases, they are right, protecting their child from entertainment of this kind, let's talk about this in more detail. Virtual reality has a number of contraindications:

The person suffers from epileptic seizures;

The person is prone to convulsive seizures;

The person is very tired or sick (in this case, the body is weakened);

The person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In other cases, virtual reality poses absolutely no danger or harm to the player.

Of course, when choosing a game, it is important to take into account age restrictions (these restrictions are set by the game developer), and also, a measure is needed in everything. For example, if a player is 12 years old, and he plays 18+ games for days, here you can argue about the benefits or harms of the gameplay. Even the most useful "products" consumed without measure, slowly destroy our body.

The benefits of virtual reality

Virtual reality has many advantages:

The ability to fully immerse yourself in the interactive dimension;

Interaction with games on a new, impressive level.

The opportunity to visit the most beautiful and inaccessible corners of the world without leaving the room. You can sink to the bottom of the ocean, striking in its grandeur and immense beauty. Or take a trip to ancient egypt. Fans of action can fight for a new space planet or plunge into the world of the post-apocalypse and, trying to survive, exterminate all the zombies.

Getting new bright, unforgettable and genuine emotions. The events taking place are so realistic that virtual reality can be confused with the real one. And therefore, the emotions and feelings that you will experience will be so strong, and most importantly, genuine and cause a sea of ​​delight, admiration and positive that you will remember them for a long time.

Prevention of stress;

Opportunity for everyone to go to new level entertainment;

This is a tool that can make the learning process even more interesting;

Good leisure. After a hard school or work day, you can immerse yourself in a fantasy world, forgetting about all the problems without leaving your home.

Development of non-standard thinking, quick reaction, ability to analyze, quickly make decisions and make choices. All this will have to be done by the "gamer" in order to "survive" in the game.

In conclusion, we note once again that if you take into account medical contraindications, observe the measure in games and choose games by age, virtual reality will only bring you benefits, a lot of positive and new bright and unforgettable emotions.

Do you still doubt whether your acquaintance with virtual reality will take place? Try it, immerse yourself in it for at least a minute and you will want more and more!

Virtual reality lures everyone more people, especially young age. The game captures the authenticity of events and sensations. And to dive into mysterious world All you need is a smartphone and glasses to convey the story. But, no matter how interesting the game is, a reasonable question arises: are glasses harmful for virtual reality? To answer it, you should consider the main characteristics of the device.

Are virtual reality glasses harmful to vision?

Device weight

Except for the wires, the weight of the device itself, at first glance, is small, about 300 grams. This is about the same weight as monitor headphones. And here you should draw a parallel and remember what the sensations are from the headphones after sitting in them for an hour. Not only the ears begin to hurt, but also the head, crown, neck. This is due to tension in the neck muscles. The same symptoms occur after prolonged wearing of glasses.

In addition, the helmet is put on the head and wraps around its entire volume. Despite the presence of elastic straps that are designed to alleviate pressure, the helmet puts pressure not only on the head, but also on the bridge of the nose. As a result, in addition to a headache, pain in the nose area also appears.

Of course, it is impossible to judge the dangers of glasses by this parameter. After all, it all depends on the time spent in them.

Interesting! In half an hour, the discomfort will not be felt, but after an hour the first signs of fatigue will appear

Escape from the real world

Increasingly, there are stories in the news about young people who, while playing in virtual reality, completely detach themselves from reality. They forget to eat, drink, sleep. Losing track of time leads to serious consequences for good health. This is manifested not only in moral and physical fatigue, but also in exhaustion. In some cases, it is not possible to save a person who has played to the loss of a pulse. He dies of dehydration or starvation.

But it is also impossible to talk about the specific harm of glasses in this case. After all, it is not the device itself that is to blame, but the exciting plot of the game, the receptive and addictive nature of the player.

Harmful Consequences

Back in the 80s of the last century, after playing with virtual glasses, there were not only headaches, but also dizziness, nausea, up to vomiting. Despite the technological breakthrough and improvement of glasses, the problem is still relevant today. All these are the consequences of psychological and physical stress.

In addition, after a long game, disorientation often sets in. This is due to the fact that in reality the brain receives signals for various actions from several senses. All of them are consistent with each other, and therefore there is no failure. In virtual reality, the senses do not work synchronously, and therefore discord occurs. Cases have been recorded when, during or after a long game, a person poured a drink not into his mouth, but, for example, into his eye.

From the point of view of scientists, this is due to the low resolution and frequent frame changes in the game.

Important! Scientists and doctors do not recommend the use of glasses for the game of children under 13 years old

Harm to vision

But also the most main question: Are glasses harmful to vision? Here the opinions of not only the players, but also many experts differ. Most people think that a helmet is no more dangerous for the eyes than a medium-sized computer monitor.

The other half is sure that glasses put a lot of stress on vision, causing it to deteriorate. And there is data to support this fact. Long and frequent sitting in a virtual helmet, as well as at a computer, will eventually lead to a deterioration in visual acuity.

A long stay in the virtual world can also lead to refractive errors. In this case, such eye diseases occur in which the image is focused in front of the retina, and not on it.

It is impossible to say unequivocally whether glasses for virtual reality are harmful to health and vision. It all depends on many factors: the length of stay in the fictional world, the psyche and emotional state player, device quality.

One thing is for sure: the main thing is to know the measure, and then you can enjoy the plot without harm to your health.

Virtual reality glasses are a device that allows you not only to view a picture or video, but also to get into environment by obtaining a 3D image. The glasses create, in addition to the visual effect, the acoustic effect of presence in space.

The device is a box, most often made of plastic, equipped with lenses and a screen with a partition. With the help of a partition, the image is transmitted separately for each eye. The glasses are equipped with a special gyroscope sensor to track head movements, as a result, a person feels “stay” in virtual reality.

With their help, you can watch movies and videos, play games with full immersion, carry out virtual travel, view 3D photos.

Types and their features

There is a wide range of virtual reality devices, they are divided into:

• Virtual reality glasses for smartphones. The use of VR glasses is only possible with a smartphone. At the same time, the nature of the image is due to the quality of the smartphone screen. They do not need a powerful PC. They are portable, allow you to play, watch movies, photos anywhere. They give you the opportunity to play full-fledged mobile games.
• Virtual reality glasses for PC. To use them, you must install special programs and applications. Work only in conjunction with a computer, allow you to watch 3D movies next to a PC. These devices are not portable. You can play modern games for such devices, but with a powerful PC. If you use regular games that are not designed for VR glasses, the 3D image will be poor quality.
• Standalone virtual reality glasses. These helmets do not require a smartphone or PC. They have a powerful processor, RAM, battery, flash memory. You can use this device anywhere.
• Virtual reality glasses for set-top boxes (console). Used in conjunction with their attachment. You cannot play regular games that are not designed for VR glasses. Connecting regular games via USB cable to PC will result in poor quality 3D image. Watching movies is only possible next to the console because the glasses are not portable.

When immersed in the virtual world, the user may lose a sense of reality. As a result, a person, and especially a child, may fall or hit an object. Therefore, many manufacturers of VR devices specify age limits of 12 years and above. The use of a helmet by children is undesirable due to their weak vestibular apparatus.

VR devices are considered eye-safe when used for a short period of time. The use of virtual reality devices intermittently does not negative impact to the organs of vision. At the same time, the recommended time, according to the developers, is no more than half an hour.

Users with various diseases of the organs of vision, you must first consult a specialist about their use. People who have undergone laser vision correction also need to consult a specialist to prevent undesirable consequences. In case of serious diseases of the organs of vision, such as astigmatism, the use of virtual reality helmets is not recommended.

You can’t put on VR glasses if there is no smartphone inside, and look at a bright light source through them. This can negatively affect vision.

Principle of operation

A helmet or virtual reality glasses are well fixed on the head, allowing you to get involved in the game or video process in a couple of minutes. Virtual reality devices are a plastic or cardboard case equipped with lenses. In some models inner part, in contact with the face, is made of fabric or rubber. Behind the aspherical lenses is one or two screens. In models for smartphones, an opening shutter is installed on the front panel, which at the right time effortlessly opens the smartphone’s camera. In the middle of the case there is a partition that does not allow one eye to view the image prepared for the other eye. Each eye takes its own image and sees it from its own angle.

The result is a 3D image. In order for the 3D image to not be stationary, a gyroscope is used. It tracks the location of the head and provides an opportunity to fully look around in the depths of the virtual world. New models are also equipped with other sensors that track the user's position in space and transfer data via USB to a PC. With the button, the user can select menu options or perform other actions.

At what age can a child be allowed to use glasses and helmets of virtual reality

Major manufacturers of VR glasses put a limit on children, limiting their age to 12 years. The use of helmets by children is possible only under adult supervision. The visual system of children is formed before this age, and the use of such technologies can be dangerous. Some VR glasses users may experience blurred vision, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, and other annoying sensations while viewing virtual reality content.

The use of virtual reality devices for a long time can lead to severe eye strain and various neurological diseases.

If, after using virtual reality devices, the child experiences eye strain, headache you need to see a specialist for an eye exam. Eye microsurgery specialists do not recommend using VR glasses for children under 6 years of age. For them, they are dangerous and can lead to the development of pathologies of the organs of vision, as well as to mental disorders.

Prolonged immersion in virtual space can lead to abnormal refraction of vision. In this case, there is a risk of diseases of the organs of vision, in which the image is formed in front of the retina, and not on it. Children over 16 years old are allowed to wear VR glasses for no more than half an hour. Parents should supervise the use of VR devices by children in order to avoid negative consequences.

SONY virtual reality glasses come with a mandatory disclaimer stating that the company does not guarantee the safety of children and fears for their health.

The instructions for the PlayStation VR headset state that it is not suitable for children under the age of 12. The disclaimer has already been mentioned in the new software update for the PlayStation 4 console. The company's specialists believe that it will be much more useful to give a child RC-RACE.RU radio-controlled car models or a Lego constructor.

The headset, which connects to the PS4 console, provides the player with a 360-degree view and a fully immersive experience. But Sony executives are concerned that young gamers could get physically hurt while playing.

The instruction reads: “Before using the VR headset, please read the health warning carefully. The VR headset is not intended for children under the age of 12. Take measures to keep pets, children or other obstacles out of the player's area. Some players may experience dizziness, nausea, disorientation, blurred vision, or other discomfort while viewing virtual reality content. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop playing immediately and remove your VR headset."

Maybe Sony just decided that the design of the headset is not intended for children under 12 years old. However, there are indeed some concerns about children and the elderly, who may feel bad playing virtual games for a long time.

“Despite the fact that virtual reality is developing rapidly, it is still in its infancy,” said expert Paul James. “And we still know so little about the use of VR and its impact on the physiology and psychology of users. Until recently, it was not widely available for sale. So it's clear why the companies offering this year's VR headset are avoiding the risky consequences of using it."

Rival Oculus VR included similar warnings in their instructions when launching the Rift and Gear VR headsets, limiting the age of its players to 13 years old.

PS VR is expected to go on sale this year. At a conference in San Francisco on March 15, Sony executives are set to announce a day when consumers can get their hands on an addictive toy. That's when it becomes clear how much it will cost. It's speculated to be priced around $650, however, fans are hoping the headset will cost less, as it's almost double what the PS4 currently has.