Software Developer Thinks VR Caused His Eyesight to Degrade

Enjoying virtual reality for extended periods of time may come with a big negative if one software developer's experience is to be believed.

As the BBC reports, software developer Danny Bittman has been working on virtual reality projects since 2016, partnering with companies including Google, Marvel Studios, Hyundai, and Microsoft.

In all, he's logged close to 10,000 hours wearing a VR headset, some days spending up to six hours viewing virtual worlds split down into 30 minute sessions.

However, his future use of VR is now in jeopardy due to eyesight problems.

In a earlier this week, Bittman said, "Just had my 1st eye doctor visit in 3 years.

Now I’m very worried about my future VR use.

I have a new eye convergence problem that acts like dyslexia.

The doc, a headset owner, is convinced my VR use caused this.

He said "these are glasses we usually prescribe to 40 year olds".

He goes on to explain that the doctor's concern was about prolonged use and he has been given "literature on the subject."

As to his specific eye problem, Bittman explained, "my eyes jump when I read things like a screen or book.

I’ve always had a small level of this, but it’s greatly intensified now.

It’s also linked to headaches and vertigo." The glasses he's been prescribed will "completely fix the problem," but the concern is over how quickly degradation has occurred and how/if it's linked to VR headset use.

According to Ceri Smith-Jaynes, from the Association of Optometrists, "We currently do not have any reliable evidence that VR headsets cause permanent deterioration in eyesight in children or adults.

There have been some studies looking into the effects of short-term use of VR headsets only; these did not reveal a deterioration in eyesight ...

However, some people do suffer from temporary symptoms such as nausea, dry, irritable eyes, headache or eyestrain."

For now, it seems there's not enough evidence available to suggest that VR headset use does permanently deteriorate eyesight.

Smith-Jaynes offers some advice for those of us who do enjoy VR, though: "If you spend all day in VR without a break, you'll need time to readjust to the light and the different visual environment of the real world.

I would suggest taking a five-to-ten minute break each hour, using that time to move about, blink and look out of a window, or take a short walk ...

The number of hours of headset use a person can comfortably tolerate will vary depending on your binocular vision status (ask your optometrist) and the task you are doing in VR."

Enjoying virtual reality for extended periods of time may come with a big negative if one software developer's experience is to be believed.

As the BBC reports, software developer Danny Bittman has been working on virtual reality projects since 2016, partnering with companies including Google, Marvel Studios, Hyundai, and Microsoft.

In all, he's logged close to 10,000 hours wearing a VR headset, some days spending up to six hours viewing virtual worlds split down into 30 minute sessions.

However, his future use of VR is now in jeopardy due to eyesight problems.

In a earlier this week, Bittman said, "Just had my 1st eye doctor visit in 3 years.

Now I’m very worried about my future VR use.

I have a new eye convergence problem that acts like dyslexia.

The doc, a headset owner, is convinced my VR use caused this.

He said "these are glasses we usually prescribe to 40 year olds".

He goes on to explain that the doctor's concern was about prolonged use and he has been given "literature on the subject."

As to his specific eye problem, Bittman explained, "my eyes jump when I read things like a screen or book.

I’ve always had a small level of this, but it’s greatly intensified now.

It’s also linked to headaches and vertigo." The glasses he's been prescribed will "completely fix the problem," but the concern is over how quickly degradation has occurred and how/if it's linked to VR headset use.

According to Ceri Smith-Jaynes, from the Association of Optometrists, "We currently do not have any reliable evidence that VR headsets cause permanent deterioration in eyesight in children or adults.

There have been some studies looking into the effects of short-term use of VR headsets only; these did not reveal a deterioration in eyesight ...

However, some people do suffer from temporary symptoms such as nausea, dry, irritable eyes, headache or eyestrain."

For now, it seems there's not enough evidence available to suggest that VR headset use does permanently deteriorate eyesight.

Smith-Jaynes offers some advice for those of us who do enjoy VR, though: "If you spend all day in VR without a break, you'll need time to readjust to the light and the different visual environment of the real world.

I would suggest taking a five-to-ten minute break each hour, using that time to move about, blink and look out of a window, or take a short walk ...

The number of hours of headset use a person can comfortably tolerate will vary depending on your binocular vision status (ask your optometrist) and the task you are doing in VR."