Thanks for raising awareness of this important topic! There are actually several overlapping issues here.
The issue of eyestrain and headaches from too much screen time and reminders to take breaks is actually quite different from "cybersickness." (Body posture and poor ergonomics of chair/keyboard/screen configuration can also cause significant issues for users.) I can use a computer (and do) for 10+ hours a day with no problem yet am very susceptible to cybersickness as typically defined in the medical/computer usability literature.
Early literature (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/107118139704100292) suggested that cybersickness (which has also been termed visually induced motion sickness) may have differences from simulator sickness although a number of the simulators at the time were actually pilot simulations on a screen. Nevertheless, the experience in a simulator that includes physical aspects of motion as well as visual aspects is definitely likely to vary.
Cybersickness/visually induced motion sickness often has a very rapid onset and in that way is also distinct from eyestrain/headaches from computer use. It can also be very disabling and associated with a total inability to use offending software programs. I know this from personal experience as I described in this post last year related to the growth of virtual reality in medical educational settings (https://communities.aamc.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?MessageKey=415d29f5-926c-45e9-b2ca-8f4d7a3ede84&CommunityKey=4302b7e1-d523-4c1c-a45b-a2ff7a6702c5#bm415d29f5-926c-45e9-b2ca-8f4d7a3ede84). There are validated scales that can be used to assess simulator sickness and visually induced motion sickness that should be part of any initiative looking at use of virtual reality. Realistically, people will self select if they have experienced this phenomenon. I will reliably experience extreme nausea when looking at screens that "zoom" in and out. It's not a matter of setting a timer every hour, even 30 seconds or so will do it and it can take awhile (15-20 minutes or more) for the sensation to fade. It is a much more dramatic and reproducible experience for me than actual motion sickness in a car or other vehicle.
As I noted in the prior posting, though it had been noted by usability and experts in simulation previously, it generated significant discussion with the release of Apple's iOS 7 in 2013, which included many features that the developers thought were "cool" yet led to a significant outcry on tech sites from affected users and a rapid iOS upgrade that allowed users to turn off the
parallax effect on the Home screen and the zooming in and out of apps.
In addition to raising general awareness, I would just want to advocate for medical educators to be aware of this phenomenon and make sure that alternative educational approaches are made available for individuals who can not participate in simulator or virtual reality exercises if you are developing these as part of your curricula. ------------------------------
Laura Fochtmann
Distinguished Service Professor
Stony Brook University
Opinions are my own.
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-27-2022 11:43
From: Nicole Buckley
Subject: Question of the Week: is Cybersickness a new health problem?
I just learned about "cybersickness," which is essentially nausea, eye strain, headaches, dizziness, or vertigo from looking at a computer or phone screen. I certainly have experienced these symptoms. Cybersickness is, apparently, different from "simulator sickness" which I definitely have experienced (on every virtual reality theme park ride I've been forced into).
Does anyone else experience cybersickness? Am I the last person to learn about this condition?
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Nicole Buckley
Communications Strategist
Association of American Medical Colleges
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