Does 3D Gaming, Movie-Going Damage Young Eyes?

As 3D video games and films continue to dazzle young fans, some moms and dads worry if the technology poses risk for kids’ still-developing eyes and brains.

Fortunately, pediatric ophthalmologist Matthew Gearinger offers these parents peace of mind.

“I hardly believe that experiencing artificial 3D environments will prove problematic,” Dr. Gearinger said. “Children’s brains and eyes will have plenty of opportunity to mature normally, as they’ll be walking around in a real 3D environment for the lion’s share of their lives.”

To learn more about how our brains interpret 3D technologies – and if and how parents should limit 3D screen time – we spoke with Dr. Gearinger further.

Scripts: How do our brains interact with the 3D technology on screen to fake depth and dimension?

Dr. Gearinger

Gearinger: In the natural world, each of our eyes perceives a separate “picture” based on the angle between each eye and the given object (naturally, that angle is greater for nearby objects, and smaller for distant objects). This discrepancy – between the images that our left and right eyes register – is the secret behind what we commonly refer to as “depth perception.”

Typically, when traditional movies, video games and paintings inhabit a flat surface, there is no real depth to the objects – so our brain creates it, based on the relative sizes of the overlapping objects. Today’s 3-D technology, however, does one better – recreating the illusion of depth even more realistically by allowing each eye to view separate images – each taken at slightly different angles – through polarized glasses. The moment you slip off your glasses, though, the screen looks blurry – after all, you’re viewing two different pictures at the same time.

Sometimes, people will experience visual unease (fuzzy vision, headaches) because of the mismatch between perceived depth and actual depth. Let me explain. Typically, as a natural object approaches us, our eyes turn in (converge or cross). At the same time, as a reflex, we unconsciously shift our degree of “optical power” to better focus in on the object. In an artificial 3D experience, however, our eyes still turn in – but there’s no need for the real-life reflex of changing “optical power,” as the object never moves from the screen.  Decoupling this “converging” and “optical power shifting” can be exhausting; the brain has a hard time resisting its normally programmed behavior.

Scripts: How much 3D TV or gaming is too much, in general? And is it important to take breaks while playing or watching 3D programs – and if so, how often?

Gearinger:  Honestly, the real evils attributed to “too much” 3D television or gaming are probably linked more to the resulting lack of physical activity – and the lack of varied intellectual stimulation – than any problem or potential threat to the eyes.

That said, I do see some kids who qualify as heavy screen-users, and they can suffer from dry eye. They concentrate so hard on the visual task at hand that they actually forget to blink! Taking breaks can certainly help.

Scripts: So, bottom line – do you think 3D is here to stay?

Gearinger: 3D technology definitely seems to be a trendy add-on for movies, TV, and games, and it can really enhance the viewing experience (one caveat, though: It does tend to dim the brightness of the images, as each eye is only getting half of the light). Overall, though, it shouldn’t cause visual problems in the majority of consumers.

More about Dr. Gearinger

Dr. Gearinger’s passion for improving the vision of children is the driving force behind his daily research and clinical practice. In the Flaum Eye Institute’s pediatric wing, he treats patients suffering from a variety of conditions ranging from pink eye, blocked tear ducts and blurred vision, to  pediatric glaucoma and congenital cataracts. He has treated adults with misaligned eyes, and even performed surgery on one-week-old infants.

To learn more about pediatric ophthalmology care at URMC, click here.

Need More Memory (No, We’re Not Talking RAM)

Searching frantically for misplaced car keys. Fumbling for the name of a new acquaintance. Providing an accurate eye-witness testimony. Treasuring past moments with a loved one lost.

What, exactly, is this thing we call “memory”? How do our brains manage to process, store and recall so much sensory footage – even lifeless data, like phone numbers – almost reflexively?

And perhaps the more urgent question is this: Could the torrent of modern technology, with its so many “memory crutches” – GPS navigators, calculators, search engines, smart phones – be eroding our brain’s natural capacity to remember?

In the clip below, neuropsychologist Dr. Mark Mapstone weighs in.

Dr. Mapstone co-directs URMC’s memory care clinic, which features a team of neurologists, psychiatrists, a geriatrician, a neuropsychologist, a psychometrician (expert in measuring psychological function), a social worker and a nurse practitioner.

The team serves patients at URMC’s Neurology Clinics at Clinton Crossings and Strong Memorial Hospital, as well as the Psychiatry Department at Monroe Community Hospital. Together, its providers help patients and their families deal with the many dimensions of memory disorders, beginning with an early and accurate diagnosis. The team meets regularly, provides diagnostic and longitudinal follow-up and supportive care, and offers patients access to clinical trials, as appropriate. To learn more, click here.

A Blow to the Head: Understanding the Full Impact of Brain Injuries

A blow to the head might elicit more than a two-day headache. As more and more studies probe the link between repeat concussions and potential long-term effects (such as an Alzheimer’s-type dementia), it seems there may be more to the injury – on a cellular level – than CT scans can show.

In fact, scientists recently confirmed that the brain of NFL player Dave Duerson was irreparably damaged due to multiple hits during his career on the football field (before committing suicide this past February, Duerson asked that his brain be studied, postmortem, at Boston University).

So, what do we definitively know about the long-term effects of concussion? What don’t we know? And what ground work needs to be laid before we can accurately test the dozen or so candidate drugs that are waiting in the wings to help brain-injury patients?

According to URMC expert Dr. Jeffery Bazarian, the key to better treatments is more accurate diagnoses. We’ll only be able to truly assess the effectiveness of new drugs, he says, if we can first paint a clearer picture of who has a concussion, and to what extent their brains have been injured.

To hear more about the state of concussion care and research, listen to Dr. Bazarian in the clip below.

You can learn more about two new research initiatives that Dr. Bazarian has recently undertaken – (1) NIH-funded work to build a blood-and-brain-function database (which could pave the way for a simple, diagnostic blood test for concussion), and (2) a study testing a small, hand-held device (resembling a smart phone!) that assesses the brain’s electrical activity after a blow to the head – by clicking here.

Have you or a loved one recently suffered from a sports-related concussion? Visit concussion.urmc.edu to learn how skilled physicians right here in Rochester can help put brain injury patients on the road to recovery.