Objective: This study aims to evaluate visual discomfort and visual fatigue caused by watching HMD and smartphones by conducting both subjective and objective measure.
Background: With the rapid development of mobile Head-Mounted Display (HMD), the problem of visual discomfort and visual fatigue caused by watching Virtual Reality (VR) contents became a crucial concern for consumers and manufacturers, especially given that the casing of mobile HMD keeps the phone at a specified distance from the lenses that is close to the eyes.
Method: Two smartphones were chosen for a preliminary study: LG G5 and Galaxy S7. As for a main study, iPhone 6S and Galaxy S7 were used. After being exposed to the selected clips, participants were asked to answer Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and went through optometric tests that measure tear break-up time, spherical equivalent, and contrast sensitivity.
Results: The subjective assessments indicate that HMD causes more visual discomfort compared to watching a smartphone. Furthermore, the experimental result confirms that watching a HMD causes more eye dryness compared to smartphones.
Conclusion: The result of the study compared visual discomfort and visual fatigue of two different displays, HMD and smartphone, and confirmed that watching HMD causes more visual discomfort and visual fatigue.
Application: Ultimately, this study could help manufacturers understand the strengths and weaknesses of different display forms, providing guidance for an effective application of HMD.