3D TV poses no health threat: Australian expert

The latest technology in 3D television posed no more risk than a conventional flat screen TV, Professor Colin Clifford said on Wednesday.

Fear over the introduction of 3D TVs was misplaced, he noted, and a carry-over from worries about an early version of interactive home entertainment.

"The concern about 3D TV originates with the development, a couple of years ago, of virtual reality goggles which have tiny screens right in front of both eyes which present a slightly different image to each eye," he said.

Prof. Clifford, of The Vision Center and the University of Sydney, said these goggles forced each eye to focus on a point that was very close, while a user's brain received images of objects that appeared to be far away.

This was not the natural orientation for the eyes when looking into the distance, Clifford said, and this process raised the potential for "confusing the brain's processing system".

"As 3D TV is usually watched from a longer distance it is unlikely to affect how the eyes and brain perceive depth of field, " he said.

Clifford said there was an argument that 3D television actually created less of a conflict for the brain's vision interpretation processes than ordinary 2D television.

He advised all televisions should be watched from a distance of two to three meters and within recommended daily time limits.

Source: Xinhua