11.8 FAQ8 - More on 3D

Because of a lack of substantial data, the pros and cons of children playing with the Nintendo 3DS have evolved into a controversy of sorts.

According to USA Today - 3/18/2011:

U.S. eye specialists are welcoming the Nintendo 3DS game device, dismissing the manufacturer's warnings that its 3-D screen shouldn't be used by children 6 or younger because it may harm their immature vision.

On the contrary, the optometrists say, it's a good idea to get your kids to try the 3-D screen, especially if they're younger than 6. It won't do any harm, they say, and it could help catch vision disorders that have to be caught early to be fixed.

"The 3DS could be a godsend for identifying kids under 6 who need vision therapy," said Michael Duenas, associate director for health sciences and policy for the American Optometric Association.

On the other hand,

David Hunter, a pediatric ophthalmologist affiliated with the Children's Hospital in Boston and the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said the idea that off-the-shelf 3-D games or movies could help screen for vision problems such as amblyopia is "a little perplexing."

Kids with amblyopia don't have much depth perception in real life, he said, so if they don't see depth in a 3-D screen, they might not say anything because that wouldn't be much different from what they see around them.

It's not impossible that it could help, but it's "all sort of exploration and speculation," said Hunter, who has started a company that's developing a device for childhood screening of vision disorders.

Question: Who's right?

Answer: Taking self-interest out of the arguments, it is still neither. More research on binocularity is still the key.