Techno Kyle

With all the buzz of the 3DS, rumors spreading of inflicting eye problems to young children finally makes sense. A Japanese Ophthalmologist warns the possibilities of developing eye problems to small children with continuous exposure to 3DS. Big thanks to Artefact for the thorough translation of a Japanese article.

3D images are bad for the eyes of infants. Nintendo says as much, and for children not to use it. The reason is that there is the possibility of damaging the eye’s balance and inducing squinting/strabismus.

[The author points to an article detailing Nintendo's own vague health warnings about the 3DS]

They say it “may interfere with the development of the eye.”

I think most general readers will take that to mean something like this:

DS = games, games = short-sightedness, short-sightedness = glasses required

That is to say, just something like the existing warning on the DS, and perhaps easily avoidable through regular breaks.

However, for children up to the age of 6 the eye’s sense of depth and three-dimensionality is still developing, and 3D images may have a great deal of influence on that.

On top of that, there are some very severe cases arising from all this.

I mentioned before how viewing “3D” images can strain your eyes. That is because when you focus on a point, each eye’s direction converges on that point. Normally both end up balanced on that point.

However, when you view a “3D” image, that balance can be disturbed, causing eye strain.

[...]

There was a case like this: a 4-year-old boy developed chronic strabismus after watching a 3D movie, and the condition did not improve. Eventually he had to undergo surgery.

This may be a rare instence, but it is certainly safer not to let children under 6 use the 3DS at all, or to ensure the 3D setting is turned all the way off at all times.

Though most children here in the Philippines do not own handheld consoles there’s still quite a few for sure that will purchase for their kids once released in the Philippines. Restricting your child for prolonged use may be a good precaution even though it’s still not proven that such eye problems are developed.