Doctor gives Glass the ok, says there's no health risk

Harvard optometrist says some do experience pain, but only at first and if they use it for too long

When I was a kid, my mother used to warn me about sitting too close to the television and would always tell me bad that would be for my eyes. While I don't doubt that there is a little bit of truth to that, I also kind of think its an old wive's tale, cooked up when televisions were new and scary as a way to get kids to not watch them (that strategy worked wonders, did't it?)

The point is, whenever a new technology comes out someone will start wondering if it will actually do us more harm than good. The latest device to get the "you'll be sorry!" treatment is Google Glass.

At least one doctor, though, is already saying that the supposed health risks are overblown.

According to Eli Peli, a Harvard optometrist and Google consultant, out of thousands who have used to devices, very few have experienced any eye discomfort or headaches as a result. And that those who do have these problems usually see them go away after a day or two.

"This adaptation phenomenon is similar to the initial discomfort some people have when wearing a new pair of prescription glasses, which eventually goes away," said Peli.

Peli was specifically responding to comment he made in an article that came out earlier this week from Betabeat which began sounding the warning drums: wear Google Glass and it will damage your eyes and give you headaches.

In it, Peli talked about the unnatural movement of the eye while earing Google Glass.

“You’re on one leg [or the other] as you walk, but try to stand on one leg for a long time and you’ll feel tension, because you’re not using it how it’s normally used,” Peli was quoted as saying “If you’re looking at the Glass for a minute, you’re holding it there for sixty times longer than normal.”

In his clarification, though, Peli says that people are not supposed to used Glass for extended periods of time, like watcing a movie or reading a book, which is what would ultimatelty cause discomfort. Instead they are supposed to be used for " micro-interactions."

" Like any piece of technology, from TVs to smart phones, it’s important that people find what’s comfortable for them. That’s why Explorers are encouraged to ease into Glass."

Unfortunately, that is likely not how many people will use them. 

Google Glass devices became available to the public last week, after months of only being available to an exclusive group of "explorers." The hardware and software, however, are still being refined.

Shout out to The Next Web for firs reporting this.

(Image source: masspictures.net)