The Effect of Retinal Eccentricity on Visually Induced Motion Sickness and Postural Control

Nam-Gyoon Kim,Beom-Su Kim

doi:10.3390/app9091919

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of retinal eccentricity on visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) and postural control. Participants wore a head-mounted display masked for the central 10° (peripheral vision), the peripheral except for the central 10° (central vision), or unmasked (control) to watch a highly immersive 3D virtual reality (VR) ride along China’s Great Wall. The Simulator Sickness Questionnaire was administered to assess VIMS symptoms before and after the VR exposure. In addition, postural sway data were collected via sensors attached to each participant’s head, torso, and hip. Results demonstrated that peripheral vision triggered the most severe symptoms of motion sickness, whereas full vision most perturbed posture. The latter finding contradicts previous research findings demonstrating the peripheral advantage of postural control. Although the source of compromised postural control under peripheral stimulation is not clear, the provocative nature of visual stimulation depicting a roller-coaster ride along a rugged path likely contributed to the contradictory findings. In contrast, motion sickness symptoms were least severe, and posture was most stable, under central vision. These findings provide empirical support for the tactic assumed by VR engineers who reduce the size of the field of view to ameliorate the symptoms of motion sickness.

Highlights

The term “vection” refers to the illusory sensations of self-motion in the absence of actual observer movement [1,2]
The present study investigated the effect of retinal eccentricity on visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) and postural control in an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment to determine whether the retinal periphery is still dominant even under more provocative visual stimulation
Results demonstrated that peripheral vision triggered most severe symptoms of motion sickness, whereas full vision most perturbed posture

Summary

Introduction

The term “vection” refers to the illusory sensations of self-motion in the absence of actual observer movement [1,2] (see [3] for an overview). It is these illusions that are taken advantage of in virtual reality (VR), wherein users interact with an artificially created environment. Equipped with the capacity to track the motion of the user’s head and deliver images in 3-dimensions (3D), these devices convey a compelling sense of immersion in the virtual environment. When experienced during exposure to VR, these symptoms are generally referred to as visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) (see [4] for an overview). Because visual inputs are unaccompanied by the corresponding vestibular and somatosensory inputs during

Results

Discussion

Conclusion