After the recent release of James Cameron’s epic, “Avatar,” which has already grossed over $1.3 billion world-wide and been hailed by many as having changed the movie industry, there has been broad speculation that the world of entertainment is moving toward 3-D production.
A Northwestern University professor says that this might not be such a good idea. Dr. Michael A. Rosenberg, a professor of Ophthalmology in Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, has been widely quoted warning against the dangers of 3-D films. Watching a movie like Cameron’s technological epic, “Avatar” – a 162-minute, 3-D extravaganza – has the potential to cause headaches and nausea in a large percentage of the population.
“When we look at an object, the image in both eyes is displaced slightly,” Rosenberg said. “In the 3-D movies the same thing happens, but the images are displaced more so, and at a slightly different angle.”
This news comes at a time when “Avatar” continues to pull in viewers, achieving the highest-grossing fourth weekend of all time and the second highest-grossing film after Cameron’s “Titanic.” Other 3-D films, such as “A Christmas Carol” and “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs,” have also drawn in large audiences, while eagerly anticipated 3-D movies like “Alice In Wonderland,” “Toy Story 3” and “Shrek Forever After” are set to be released this year.
The 3-D technology is slated to be incorporated in other media as well. Sony recently announced that 3-D movies will be compatible with its popular “Playstation 3” console later this year, along with a range of 3-D-enabled televisions.
Rosenberg said that the negative effects of watching 3-D movies are not permanent. The headaches are not caused by the eyes themselves, but by the unnatural conditions in which the three dimensional image is projected.
“The displacement is proportional to how much the image ‘jumps out’ at you,” he said. “With increased displacement, the mind needs much more effort to fuse the pictures together.”
Even those without vision problems are not immune.
“If someone is not perfectly corrected, in normal circumstances, the effect doesn’t show up; but in 3-D movies, it will,” Rosenberg said. “The amount of processing and concentration the brain will need to produce the image will cause headache and nausea.”
Rosenberg recently witnessed a negative 3-D reaction first-hand.
“My wife felt sick halfway through Avatar and took her 3-D glasses off,” he said. “She put them on when the nausea subsided and was alright in the end.”