Are Virtual Reality Headsets Safe?

With millions of VR headsets being sold all over the world in recent years, they’ve become the focus of potential health concerns for children and adults alike. People are concerned about the obvious risks, such as injuries caused by hitting real objects while in the immersive computer-generated world, as well as the subtle health effects that can come into play after using the headset for long periods of time.

Since a VR headset can be used with a variety of video games and entertainment options, it seems like it would be a great gift for children, but many of the major VR headset manufacturers don’t recommend that young children use their products. But does that mean that VR headsets aren’t safe? No, not quite.

Is Virtual Reality Safe?

VR headset user guides warn about potential health effects like eye strain, headaches, and nausea after using your VR headset for too long. In order to cut down on issues related to eye strain, it’s best to follow the warnings listed in your headset’s documentation, set limits on playtime, and halt all activity if you start experiencing eye twitching, blurred vision, or double vision. These issues are the most common ones to arise when people ask, “Are virtual reality headsets safe?”

Questions have also have been raised about whether using VR headsets it is safe for eye health and brain development, but the American Academy of Ophthalmology has done research that has found that using VR does not pose a significant risk of vision deterioration or serious eye issues.

Research has also shown so far that there is no evidence that VR can harm brain development in kids and adults. Some ophthalmologists are actually using virtual reality as a tool to help people whose vision has become limited. VR is also being used by mental health professionals and physical therapists to help their patients. So while some people may have raised concerns about the safety of this new technology, it’s actually being used to improve the health and safety of people all over the world.