In just over a month’s time Samsung will be rolling out its first 3D television sets, while other vendors will be following close behind.
In the Today Show this morning Karl raised concerns about health-related issues to do with 3D television. Some people have complained about headaches when coming out of watching the 3D version of Avatar, and there is a concern about a condition called binocular dysphoria (your brain struggles to come to terms with depth perception), while a blog entry by the ABC’s Mark Pesce suggests that 3D televsion should be nipped in the bud before it even starts because it is really bad for you. On the other side of the coin, Sydney associate professor Colin Clifford who is said to be an expert in visual perception disagrees and has gone on record stating that the difference between 2D and 3D television was unlikely to be significant.
To be fair, there hasn’t been a great deal of work done on this subject by the vendors or third parties like universities.
I’m in no position to give an opinion on the health risks, other than to offer some common sense advice in that watching a lot of television at any time is not good for you – not only from giving you square eyes, but you can turn into a couch potato. Like anything, moderation is the key.