By Carl Laron on April 15, 2010 in
Among consumer electronics companies, no one has made a bigger commitment to rolling out 3D TVs than Samsung. However, the company has now posted a web page on its Australian site (but nothing yet here in the U.S.) that warns that certain people might find the 3D viewing experience just a bit too intense. Between the list of individuals who should avoid watching 3D TV images, and the possible side effects of watching those images anyway, you'd think you're about to step onto a hyper-extreme ride at a theme park rather than just watching TV on your couch.
Samsung flat out states that viewers with serious medical conditions -- as well as the elderly, the pregnant, the tired and even the inebriated -- should avoid watching 3D. The company also says that children and teenagers are especially susceptible to adverse health effects, and should be closely monitored by adults when viewing 3D images.
The list of the possible health effects is almost as terrifying as the latest slasher flick. They include altered vision, light-headedness, involuntary eye or muscle twitching, disorientation, nausea, cramps and convulsions. Other potential side effects include motion sickness, perceptual after-effects and decreased postural stability (in other words, the tendency to fall down). Helpfully, we guess, Samsung also states that because of possible disorientation, 3D TVs should not be placed near hazards such as balconies or open stairwells.
By the way, concerns about 3D viewing are nothing new. Experts have long said that 3D viewing in general can lead to unpleasant side effects because they force the eyes and the brain to work in ways that aren't completely natural. That's not a problem for many viewers, but as this article in Business Week points out, a good number of people -- around 30 percent -- have vision issues that make them more susceptible to headaches, eye strain, motion sickness and the like.
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