Original article
The effect of a projected virtual reality training environment on vision symptoms in undergraduates
Authors:
Meritxell Cristino Amenós ,
Eye and Vision Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool;
Orthoptics and Optometry, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool
About Meritxell Cristino
BSc (Hons) Orthop DOO(EC) DipTP(IP)
Paul C. Knox
Eye and Vision Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool
About Paul C.
PhD CBiol MIBiol
Abstract
Aim: Virtual reality (VR) systems induce a range of unwelcome symptoms in a proportion of the population. A similar phenomenon has been reported with 3D presentation systems. Given the increasingly wide deployment of such systems, we investigated the effect of exposure to a projected VR training simulation on a group of undergraduates.
Methods: Two groups of students attended two teaching sessions using a 3D stereoscopic backprojector system with active stereo glasses. One group was given a full orthoptic and optometric assessment before they attended their first session. Participants completed the Virtual Reality Symptom Questionnaire (VRSQ) before and after both sessions.
Results: While no participant reported any gross discomfort after either session, there was a statistically significant increase in VRSQ symptom scores from pre- to post-exposure in the first session that was not observed in the second session. Pre-exposure scores were statistically significantly different between sessions; analysis of the difference between individual pre- and post-exposure results from both sessions revealed no consistent effects. There was a statistically significant correlation between prism fusion amplitude and symptom scores.
Conclusions: We found no evidence of uncomfortable symptoms in a group of undergraduate students. Projected VR systems, in which participants are largely passive observers, are less likely to induce eye symptoms than head-mounted systems which make higher demands on the visual system. We also found that in a typical undergraduate class there were a number of students with no or low stereopsis who could derive no benefit from a VR system.
How to Cite:
Amenós, M.C. and Knox, P.C., 2014. The effect of a projected virtual reality training environment on vision symptoms in undergraduates. British and Irish Orthoptic Journal, 11, pp.39–45. DOI: http://doi.org/10.22599/bioj.84
Published on
01 Aug 2014.
Peer Reviewed
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