Thursday 29 September 2016

Sony's new PlayStation VR headset 'could lead to EYE DISEASE and VOMITING epidemic', doctor warns

The PlayStation VR headset is due to hit UK stores on October 13, costing just £350 and allowing gamers to immerse themselves in a stunning 3D world like never before.


With more than 40 million PS4s sold globally, many experts are tipping PSVR to finally make virtual reality truly mainstream.
Tech giant Sony is certainly adding to the buzz by touring the hardware across Britain throughout September and October.
But while video enthusiasts are clamouring to get their hands on the devices, experts have warned about the dangers when it comes to long-term eye damage - and they could also lead to copious amounts of puke.

Leading laser eye surgeon Dr David Allamby, clinical director of London’s Focus clinic, says VR could be setting up a generation of young adults for myopia and agonisingly-painful "dry eye".
Close up of eye
Many VR users have complained about dry eye or eye strain from wearing headsets, a condition exacerbated by the fact that some wearers, when in a stressful situation and immersed in a 3D action environment, simply neglect to blink as often as they should be to really lubricate the eye," he said.
"And it’s not something to be taken lightly.
"Over a prolonged period of time, dry eye can lead to extreme pain, with sufferers sometimes describing it as being stabbed in their eyes."
Other experts have warned about how VR disrupts how our eyes naturally converge and diverge as we focus on objects at different distances - something known as "vergence-accommodation coupling
Dr Allamby adds: "VR headsets contain two small digital screens, each projected at one eye, creating a stereoscopic effect to create an illusion of depth.
"The closeness of these to the eyes over intense long periods of use could lead to severe vision strain or neurological issues and needs to be better understood.
Recent research from the University of California Los Angeles found that, when tested on rats, a virtual experience caused 60% of the brain cells in the Hippocampus region to "shut down".
That's the part of the brain which maps an individual's location in space, along with supporting other functions like memory, learning and dreaming.
It’s not just your eyes which could suffer after a VR session - so could your stomach.
Earlier this year, at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, a select band of journalists road-tested the PSVR while playing upcoming horror-survival game Resident Evil 7 .
It turned into a PR nightmare for the title's makers Capcom, however, when a large number of writers began to suffer from "motion sickness".
Jessica Conditt, who works for the Engadget website, reported: "A third of the way through the demo, I suddenly felt feverish.
"The first wave of nausea crashed over me shortly after I climbed the stairs for the first time, my head tilted upward as I peered around a dark loft space occupied by a group of naked mannequins. I wondered if I was coming down with the flu.
"Two minutes later, I was barely paying attention to the game. My stomach churned and my skin steamed. Ten minutes into the demo, I knew that if I put the PS VR back on, I was going to puke all over Sony's media lounge.
Playstation VR
SteamVR featuring the HTC Vive

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