Last Updated on October 3, 2023

Virtual reality (VR) technology first took off back in 2012. Although, did it actually ever take off?

While VR has been getting better and cheaper every year, it is still missing the necessary advances to make it mainstream. Bulky headsets and relatively complex technology keep VR from being the next smartphone or TV set equivalent. While 2016 was the slated year for VR’s jump to mainstream, many people still don’t know what VR is or own a VR headset.

So What is VR?

Virtual Reality, or VR, is a simulated digital experience a user can enter into by wearing a headset with goggles and occasionally hand-held remotes. Computer-generated imagery takes over your visual field, and the user’s motion is tracked from the headset and connected remotes to simulate being in the virtual environment.

There is a range of applications and potential uses for VR:

• Games
• Entertainment (movies, shows, concerts)
• Sports
• Simulated learning experiences for school, jobs, activities
• Simulated travel/tourism
• Medicine
• Military simulations
• Social activities and digital events

The VR gaming segment constitutes almost a third of the whole industry, with a predicted kickback of $1.4 billion USD in 2021.

Since 2017, eSports revenue attributed to VR has grown from $400 million USD to a projected $2.4 billion USD in 2024.

An example of VR from pop culture is the book and movie “Ready Player One”.

How VR Works

VR headsets either have a mobile device placed in the headset itself, like the Samsung Gear VR or Google Cardboard, or they have PC-based options (The HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Playstation VR) that connect to a computer and have sensor-filled LCD screen goggles. There are also standalone versions that don’t connect to a separate device, and instead have the VR software and programming built in.

VR is different from AR, or augmented reality. AR uses a lens to create a composite view of both digital and real-world images. It superimposes digital imagery into a viewer’s real-world perspective. Perhaps the most famous example of AR in recent years was the viral game Pokémon Go. Using phone apps, gamers use their device’s camera to search for Pokémon inserted in the real world through AR. VR might soon accommodate AR, but they are separate terms.

As with any new digital technology, there are health concerns associated with using EMF-emitting devices near your body for long periods of time. VR, with the use of headsets and connected computers/phones, might be exposing your body to chronic levels of EMF radiation.

Health Concerns

Though there are more applications for VR being developed, the easiest way to think of it is as a fully immersive video game.

There are health concerns related to playing virtual games like video games. These include digital eye strain, altered neurological processes (decreased hippocampus use), and induced stress responses, which can lead to chronic stress, depression, and irritability. We talk about more about video game health effects here.

Blue Light Effects

With VR, a headset is placed directly against your head. This exposes your eyes to a very bright and immersive LED screen.

LEDs function with wavelengths of 400-495 mm, which corresponds to the color blue on the visible light spectrum. This is one of the highest-energy types of light that human eyes can perceive. Blue light is harmful because it impacts the body’s sleep cycle and affects the eyes.

Imagine sitting 6 inches away from your TV and staring straight ahead for multiple hours. Digital eye strain, headaches, poor sleep, and even damaged eyes can result from too much blue light.

When the pigment in our retinas are exposed to high energy blue and UV light, free-radicals are formed. Free radicals cause oxidative damage and photoreceptor damage and death.

Over time, this can lead to macular degeneration and other eye problems.

EMF Radiation Effects

Similar to holding a phone against your ear to talk, VR headsets are packed with technology, including the LED screen and embedded sensors, or for some versions a smartphone itself.

Some are now completely wireless, while others tether you to a powerful computer with a USB and/or HDMI cable to stream the VR programs.

Wireless headsets and phone-connected headsets have powerful wireless processors, which would theoretically expose you to more EMF radiation. Wired VR headsets that are attached to a computer or console keep the VR processing further from your body. However, the sensors in the headset are still collecting and sending data. The HDMI cord is still sending electromagnetic frequencies to your head.

Regardless of what VR set you have, EMF radiation is present within a few inches of your brain.

Multiple studies show that EMF radiation can create oxidative damage, DNA fragmentation (the precursor for cancerous tumors) and affects brain activity.

EMFs are associated with increased glucose metabolism in different regions of the brain.

EMFs also over-activate the sensitive VGCCs (Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels) in cells that help the release of neurotransmitters and hormones. This vast increase of Calcium ions in the cell also induces an oxidative stress response.

Since the brain has such a high metabolic rate, ROS and Oxidative damage can happen more easily than in other organs. Oxidative damage in the brain causes nervous system impairment, meaning a disruption in brain hormones and neurotransmitters. This means a disruption in gut health, mental health, sleep, fertility, and brain and body performance.

Increased Screen Time and 5G

While it may look like real life, VR is just another digital screen. It is very different from looking at an actual landscape.

Already, there are concerns surrounding increased screen time and mental health. Over the last decade, the rise in mental health disorders coincides with the increase in screen time. While correlation does not mean causation, research is showing that social media and Internet addiction, coupled with the negative EMF effects from technology, may be playing a role in the increase in mental health issues.

The dangers of increased screen time are more important when it comes to children and adolescents because it negatively impacts physical and cognitive abilities. Kids are also much more vulnerable to EMF and blue light effects, since they are still developing and are more conductive beings.

VR takes screen time to a whole new level because as someone engages in it, they become fully immersed. No longer is it just a relatively small screen in front of you, but instead it encompasses your entire perspective.

As 5G networks continue to evolve, VR is poised for even more growth because of 5G’s increased bandwidth and upload/download speed. 5G-compatible VR would be sending much higher frequencies directly to your head. (If you want to learn more about 5G and what that means for your health, take a look at this blog).

Staying Protected

As VR continues to advance, it may eventually become a mainstream device. While VR is helpful in many ways, for most people VR is just a fun way to pass the time. With that being said, short-term enjoyment may not be worth negative long-term health impacts. We do not recommend using VR headsets because of the very close proximity to EMF radiation and blue light.

However, if you are still planning on engaging with VR, there are ways to mitigate some of the harmful effects.

Tips to Mitigate Harmful Effects

• Protect yourself. Use the EMF Radiation Protection Beanie Cap to help shield your head and EMF Gloves to help protect your hands when using connected hand controllers. Both of these clothing items have EMF shielding silver fibers woven into the fabric. However, this will not protect your eyes or your entire head. There is no way to block EMF coming from a screen without covering the screen.
• Pick a wired VR headset. This will reduce the wireless radio frequencies that are around your head.
• Wear blue light blocking glasses. Most headsets can accommodate users with glasses. DefenderShield’s blue light glasses may help reduce the negative effects of LED screens.
• Limit the amount of time spent using VR devices. Short-term exposure is not as bad as cumulative long-term exposure. We recommend talking on the phone for 20 min or less, and that carries over for VR headsets. Even VR manufacturers suggest taking a 10 to 15-minute break every 30 minutes.
• Do not use VR devices before bed. This may impact sleep.
• Limit time spent on or near other EMF-emitting devices. It’s all about moderation. If you want to spend multiple hours with your VR headset, try to reduce time spent using or near other EMF-emitting devices.
• Keep your body in balance. When exposed to chronic EMF radiation, you can still ensure your body is as resilient as it can be by drinking lots of water, eating nutritious foods filled with antioxidants, meditating, getting enough sleep, and getting outside to ground your body!

While benefits may be massive for those using VR for medicine, learning, training, and more, it is important to stay mindful of the EMF radiation and blue light your VR headset emits, while only a few inches from your head.

If you are going to use VR, use sparingly.

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