Eye Specialists Disagree with Nintendo's 3DS Warning for Children

Eye doctors say viewing the handheld's 3D screen "should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever" for kids.

Nintendo recently issued an official warning that kids under the age of six shouldn't be allowed to view the 3DS with the 3D effect turned on -- it could, the company says, potentially harm their eye development. Evidently top eye doctors disagree.

The New York Times spoke with "some of the worlds elite pediatric ophthalmologists," who all agreed there's little scientific evidence to warrant the warning. "The fact you'd watch 3-D in a theater or a video game should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever," said Dr. Lawrence Tychsen, professor of pediatrics and ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Dr. Tychsen has conducted research with Rhesus monkeys wearing 3D glasses, which he said provide an excellent approximation of how the human eye develops. The results: Monkeys that wore 3D glasses and looked at 3D screens daily for three months had no different eye development than monkeys that didn't.

 

Also confused by the warning: Dr. David Granet, a pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of California, San Diego, and chairman-elect of the ophthalmology section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In fact, when Nintendo released the warning, Dr. Granet said he and other doctors in an online discussion group he runs were puzzled about the cause. "There were a flurry of e-mails saying, 'Does any one know the reason for this or where it came from?'" Dr. Granet said. "I don't think that parents need to worry about kids playing video games, 3-D or otherwise, from a vision perspective. The bigger question for parents is: Do you really want your 3-year-old playing a video game?"

 

Nintendo seems unconvinced by the science, though, as it's sticking by the warning. "Nintendo's position is children 6 and under should not use the 3-D feature of Nintendo 3DS, and parents should use the Parental Controls feature to restrict access to the 3-D mode," said Charlie Scibetta, senior director of corporate communications, in a statement.

 

And Nintendo's not alone: Sony has also previously warned parents about allowing children under six to view 3D content. Apparently no matter what science says, there's no harm in corporations making sure they're covered just in case.

Source