Software Developer's Eyes Got Ruined After Using VR Headsets

VR headsets are becoming more and more popular for their ability to let people experience a different graphic world. Though we cannot claim that they will deteriorate eyesight permanently, a software developer used VR headsets for 10,000 hours over a course of 4 years and is undergoing consequences.

The man in question is Danny Bittman, who tweeted that for the first time, he’s been prescribed glasses by a doctor that believes VR headsets caused his eye convergence, according to a BBC report. Bittman wrote in his tweet:

“Just had my first eye doctor visit in three 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 glasses we usually prescribe to 40-year-olds.”

Danny Bittman works as an artist for a VR coloring book called Color Space. He says that he has used VR headsets since 2106, nearly 10,000 hours. His condition is attributed to prolonged use as he normally uses virtual reality 6 hours every day, in 30-minute sessions.

Bittman posted another tweet explaining his symptoms in detail:

“My eyes jump when I read things like a screen or books. I've always had a small level of this but it's greatly intensified now. It's also linked to headaches and vertigo.”

About the new glasses, he said:

“They’re the kind that have slits with different lenses for up close and far away. But, that doesn’t change the fact that my eyes degraded dramatically in the last 3 years.”

He also pointed out that he is among 1% of people using a VR headset for almost 10,000 hours since 2016, so it makes sense to find out if VR headsets really damage the human eye.

As of now, there is no reliable evidence to prove that VR headsets can permanently deteriorate the eyesight. According to the Association of Optometrists’ Ceri Smith-Jaynes, available studies have looked into only the influence of short-term use of virtual reality headsets and didn’t reveal an eyesight deterioration. But there have been people suffering from temporary symptoms like irritable, dry eyes, nausea, eyestrain, and headache.

>>> This Hospital Uses VR Technology To Livestream Surgeries