If you've watched the "How It Feels"
section of the Google Glass website, you know the tool looks seriously cool. But
if staring at a computer screen can make your eyes tired, could wearing
Google's hottest new product do the same thing? We decided to investigate if
users should worry about their eye health when using Glass.
The short answer: They shouldn't.
I spoke with ophthalmologist James
Salz, M.D., a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, who said
that though Glass isn't meant to be used for long stretches of time, people
might do so anyway and could get eye strain as a result. (It would be similar
to the strain office workers experience when they look at computer screens all
day long.) But, he says, while it might make you uncomfortable -- looking at a
screen may cause you to blink less, which can lead to dry, red, and irritated
peepers -- it's not actually damaging or harmful to the eye. A Google spokesperson
also confirmed that they studied safety and comfort very closely through the
design process, and worked with ophthalmologists to develop the product.
If you do get a chance to try Glass (right now, applications to be a
"Glass Explorer" are closed), you can treat dry, tired eyes with the same
techniques suggested for heavy computer users, says Dr. Salz. Give yourself
breaks, gaze into the distance at something 20 feet away, and try to blink
extra, which will spread moisturizing tears across your cornea. Artificial
tears (available at any drugstore) can also help re-lubricate your eyes.
On their website, Google
warns of possible eye strain or headaches, and also suggests that people
who have had Lasik surgery should ask their doctors about potential risks. When
I asked Dr. Salz about this, he said the only Lasik-associated risk he could
think of is that a person who hadn't healed from the surgery could poke their
eye with the stem of the glasses. And while Google also warns against children
under age 13 using the technology, Dr. Salz wasn't concerned, and said that kids'
eyes are developed by the time they're 6 to 8 years old.
The one way Glass might be
dangerous? Dr. Salz says that just like with cell phones, people may not use
the technology in the way they're directed, and could end up distracted, like
by playing games while driving (or even walking). But the risk of texting while
driving doesn't mean cell phones are universally unsafe, and the possibility of
distracted Glass use doesn't make this cool new device unsafe either.
Photo courtesy of tedeytan on Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons.