We have been told over and over again by technology companies, movie directors and others that 3D is the wave of the future when it comes to viewing content. More and more 3D televisions are being sold. More movies are being
We have been told over and over again by technology companies, movie directors and others that 3D is the wave of the future when it comes to viewing content. More and more 3D televisions are being sold. More movies are being released with 3D support and a number of PC and console games keep promoting their 3D effects. Despite this, a new study is suggesting that actually viewing 3D content can cause physical discomfort among some people.
According to a story in TechCrunch, a study of 24 people conducted by the University of California at Berkeley states that viewing stereoscopic 3D content on a screen can cause what is known as "vergence-accomodation". That basically means that the human eye "must constantly adjust to both the distance of the physical screen and that of the 3D content." The end result of such a situation is that some people who view 3D content can be affected in a number of ways including, "visual discomfort, fatigue, and headaches."
With more and more movies, TV shows and games adding 3D support with viewing by glasses and with 3D visuals without glasses support on a couple of smartphones and the Nintendo 3DS portable game console, its clear that the 3D trend isn't stopping anytime soon. However, if this study is truly an example of what the general public feels when they watch 3D content it may be a long, long time before watching 3D movies in the home along with and playing 3D games moves into the mainstream.