[by WAVY.com (NBC affiliate)]
At least one television manufacturer is now warning consumers of potential vision problems associated with 3D TV. Samsung says extended viewing may cause temporary vision problems for young children and even trigger epileptic episodes.
3D TVs are considered the hot new item in home entertainment. Some even claim they’ll replace 2D sets. But, with more movies, video games and “on demand” cable channels being devoted to 3D, the worry is for teens and children, who experts say may be at risk.
Samsung’s warning states that children and teenagers may be more at risk to health issues related to 3D viewing.
Ophthalmologist Dr. Gregory Haffner says kids’ eyes are in the developmental stages until age 10 and watching 3D may alter the way their eyes are learning to fuse.
“Theoretically, if they’re watching 3D television for 6 or 7 hours a day, you know, that is the kind of processing you might get an issue with,” Dr. Haffner said.
Dr. Jennifer Madan Cohen is a pediatric neurologist and she says the 3D glasses that are used for home use function differently than those used in theaters.
“The 3D technology that is coming out for home use is a little more worrisome for people because it uses this active system which (on camera) turns on and off, sort-of flashes in front of a person’s eyes and that can be, the flashing is what’s often provoking for seizures,” Dr. Cohen said.
This type of technology can be very dangerous for people like Aprile Johnson, who developed photosensitive epilepsy after surgery to remove a brain tumor 17 year ago.
“At 3D movies with the glasses on (on camera) affects me. I either blink tremendously and I miss the movie. I can almost feel that I’m going to have an epileptic episode, my head starts to hurt; i’ll get like foggy vision. I’ll take the glasses off.”
Dr. Cohen said following one simple rule can minimize any side effect. He says don’t sit too close to the TV or screen. She also says keeping the lights on while watching is a must.
“They should have lights on in the room because it’s the contrast of the (on camera) flashing light that can be a problem. So if they’re really in a dim room and it’s a bright flash, that would be the kind of stimulus that could provoke a seizure,” Dr. Cohen explained.
Experts agree that it’s still too soon to fully understand how much 3D TV viewing is too much. They stress parents should monitor their kids viewing habits — keeping it in moderation.
See the original post here: http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/health_news/your-health-and-3d-tv
