French agency warns about effects of artificial 3-D viewing on eye health, vision development

Exposure to 3-D technology should be avoided before the age of 6 years and limited until at least the age of 13 years.

Issue: July/August 2015

ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, launched an alert on the potential damage to the eye caused by 3-D viewing, particularly in the younger population. Dissociation between accommodation and vergence may affect visual development, a process that continues until the age of 13 years, researchers said.

“The ANSES has engaged a team of physicians, ophthalmologists, opticians, orthoptists, optical engineers, researchers and film industry professionals to understand how this technology works and investigate the neural processes of artificial 3-D vision. Over 3 years, we have also collected all published data on the effects of 3-D,” Dominique Brémond-Gignac, MD, PhD, OSN Europe Edition Board Member, said.

The process of artificial 3-D vision is based on the dissociation of accommodation and vergence, which occur simultaneously in real life.

“In the perception of depth and relief, our eyes verge on the same object and accommodate to bring it into focus at the same distance, which is the object’s plane. When we watch a 3-D movie, this physiological process is disrupted: Our eyes focus on the screen, but 3-D images pop up toward us, and there is where our eyes verge,” Brémond-Gignac explained.

The brain and eye strain caused by this dissociation is the origin of symptoms that have variable severity, such as headache, neck pain, asthenopia, fatigue, double vision and reduced spatial contrast, reported in a high number of cases.

“Within our research, more than 1,000 people were surveyed in cinemas at the end of a 3-D movie, and many said they had headache. And movies are the least source of problems, as they only last a couple of hours,” Brémond-Gignac said.

Recommendations

Three-dimensional technology has greatly developed in the past 15 years, from cinema and television to computers, tablets, video game consoles and mobiles. Frequent and prolonged exposure to artificial 3-D viewing, by children and teenagers in particular, raises justified concerns, and some manufacturers, such as Nintendo and Samsung, have issued warnings against the use of 3-D by small children.

“We have not been able to prove that there is an effect on visual development, but it is reasonable to think that dissociation between accommodation and vergence can affect this delicate process, which is not completed until about the age of 13,” Brémond-Gignac said. “There is probably no harm if a child plays a 3-D game for 15 or 30 minutes, but the problem is that children use these devices 7 to 8 hours a day. The dramatic raise of myopia among children in east Asia has made us aware of the impact of environmental factors on the development of myopia at a young age.”

The ANSES concluded that 3-D technology should not be used by children under the age of 6 years and used in moderation by children under the age of 13 years. It also recommended that children and parents should be educated to recognize and report symptoms that may be induced by 3-D viewing. Recommendations are extended to adults with visual problems, particularly those related to accommodation and vergence.

“3-D may not be so widespread yet, but education authorities were considering the possibility of introducing it in schools. We know how fast technological developments occur and how quickly they are adopted. Wisely, our ministry of health has committed to doing this research in advance, rather than incur the risk of facing problems when the damage had already been done,” Brémond-Gignac said. – by Michela Cimberle

For more information:
Dominique Brémond-Gignac, MD, PhD, is head of the Ophthalmology Department at University Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France. She can be reached at dominique.bremond@aphp.fr.

Disclosure: Brémond-Gignac reports no relevant financial disclosures.