Google Glass is a wearable head-mounted display system currently under development. It allows the wearer to simultaneously view the environment plus a heads-up display which may include content from the internet or any number of “Apps”. However, until recently little attention has been paid to the effect such devices might have on visual performance.
To help understand this more fully, Ianchulev and colleagues asked 3 volunteers to perform visual field testing both with and without the Google Glass. They found that when worn, the Google Glass caused significant visual field defects. These defects disappeared when the Google Glass was removed.
This interesting study raises concerns about the safety of devices such as Google Glass. More research is needed to more fully understand this phenomenon.
Ianchulev et al. Wearable Technology With Head-Mounted Displays and Visual Function. JAMA. 2014;312(17):1799-1801. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.13754.
