How bad is VR for you - long term affects of using VR

[VeryBumpy 272]

Since using it more and more I'm beginning to wonder of VR's side affects.

Short term is easy; nausea, headaches, dizziness and eye fatigue.

But what about down the road several years using VR for an hour or 2 every day?

Are we damaging our eyes with the brightness and constant focus?

Is repeated nausea and dizziness bad for our inner ears or brain?

Is the band of electronics wrapped round our head and face bombarding us with harmful radio waves?

Time to wear a tin foil beanie under our HMD?

Legitimately curious.

[dmarques69 316]

Some good pertinent questions, but i don't think that anyone can tell you for sure what are the effects of a long term VR use.

The eyes for sure are putted to stress, but even in a monitor that happens.

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

I've NEVER had any of those dreadful symptoms you've listed but I do question whether my eyes suffer of if it's just general 'Old Fart' deterioration. On balance I'd say 'Old Fart'.

EDIT: A thought: I spend more time staring at a monitor painting than in VR, so any eye strain I'll put down to painting.

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ron Attwood

[Nedo68 533]

I dont know, i turned '50 last year and i never needed glasses,

but recently i need small reading glasses in the evening! 😅

Starring non stop on a TV or Monitor since the early '80 (Atari 400) and since 7 years using a VR Headset.

So it could be the age or the TV's or both togheter 🤔

 

[YoYo 374]

3 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

I've NEVER had any of those dreadful symptoms you've listed ...

 

The same. Still feel well even 2h long real time of flight :).

[charliearon 3,023]

I read on the Internet that your whosywhammie will fall off with long term use!

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

32 minutes ago, charliearon said:

I read on the Internet that your whosywhammie will fall off with long term use!

Oh dear.

[HiFlyer 9,358]

There are partisans on either side of the issue, who, based on their own self interest and predilections will give you viewpoints ranging from "Of course its fine" to "It will end all life on earth!"

So far more neutral official sources don't seem alarmed yet and consider virtual reality to be approximately akin to many other activities that can cause eyestrain.

On the other hand, there are outliers. I read one badly written report from finland that pronounced prolonged vr use as "Lethal"

Most reports look like this: 

https://www.gouldvision.com/blog/can-virtual-reality-games-damage-your-eyes/

[Wildblue 245]

3 hours ago, charliearon said:

I read on the Internet that your whosywhammie will fall off with long term use!

What is whosywhammie? Can it happen to my setup or my software too? I don't want anything to fall off. Please explain.

[charliearon 3,023]

14 minutes ago, Wildblue said:

What is whosywhammie? Can it happen to my setup or my software too? I don't want anything to fall off. Please explain.

Just say "ouch" when it does!

[Quasimodo 505]

8 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

On balance I'd say 'Old Fart'.

It's disgraceful that the Word not allowed filter did'nt sensor that word!😒

[Quasimodo 505]

4 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

Oh dear.

I would have though yours had already fallen off by now🤨

 

[Quasimodo 505]

I would suggest that if anyone is worried about the health effects of VR use, they should take up vaping and/or wing suiting instead. I've heard they are both completely harmless.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Avidean

[KenG 492]

6 hours ago, Rob_Ainscough said:

I can't get past the short term vomiting to reach long term usage ... which is odd, I can race cars real world, I can fly real world, but put a VR headset on and I'm on cleanup duty within a few minutes ... but I do keep trying ... and failing ... guess I'll just have to wait for the holodeck.

Cheers, Rob.

The same thing happens to some on big box simulators and it is called simulator sickness and is a subset of motion sickness. The issue is most prevalent when pilots with lots of experience in how an airplane moves uses a simulator and the lack or proper motion cues (or in Full Flight Simulators the cueing is just slightly out of cycle with the visuals) can cause nausea and discomfort. I have taught pilots and instructors who have this condition and the good news is generally exposure over time helps to resolve most of the discomfort. 

There are also herbal remedies such as ginger as well as nausea bands (both pressure types and electrolysis.) In the worst cases the people affected had to use dramamine.

Unlike some instructors have have sympathy for people with these problems, because I always had an issue with aerobatics. Spin me up and I will respond to the sick sack. 

The other thing working against you is age. If you are susceptible to motion sickness, it does not improve with age. 

I have not met a student I could not get through an initial course. Seems I am knows as the sim sick guy and pilots have have issues get sent my way. The right exposure does seem to work over time. 

[Farlis 2,285]

17 hours ago, charliearon said:

I read on the Internet that your whosywhammie will fall off with long term use!

Long term use of what?  Of the whosywhammie? 😉