The effect of a projected virtual reality training environment on vision symptoms in undergraduates

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.