The visual effects of head-mounted display (HMD) and desk-top computer display

Eli Peli (1998)

As computer technology moves forward new ways of presenting the user with visual information are being developed. Technologies like virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) are requiring new systems being able to show visual information "on the go". But some literature is suggesting that the use of head mounted displays (HMD) has potentially harmful effects on the users' visual system. This article sustains that according to new research there are no major differences regarding the physiological effects in the eyes between using a HMD and a traditional computer monitor.

In this study the author conducted an experiment where a group of adult volunteers play a video game using three visualization modes: HMD in stereoscopic mode, HMD in monoscopic mode and a CRT traditional desktop monitor.

The results suggest that there are clear physiological effects in the users' eyes after having used each one of the three visualization modalities. Even using traditional CRT desktop monitors the users experimented different types of visual anomalies. And the anomalies on the users' eyes after using the HMDs were no greater than those observed after having used CRT displays. These anomalies were basically difficulties in focusing objects at specific distances, blur vison and worsened visual acuity. However, the author emphasizes that all these anomalies disappeared after a certain period of time.