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It's official: Toy Story 3 is a hit at the box office! But with plenty of pop-from-the-screen three-dimensional thrills, lots of moms are wondering, "Are 3D movies safe for my kid's eyes?"
Marty Banks, Ph.D., Professor of Optometry and Vision Science at University of California, Berkeley, says that they probably are. Banks has studied the effect of 3D-watching on young adults and found that seeing a movie on a big screen is relatively safe due to the distance between viewers and the screen. Plus, says Banks, the newer, more sophisticated 3D movies aren't as harmful as the effects of the past, where images, like swords, seemed to come toward the audience. "We're more concerned with closer 3D screens, like TVs, desktop computer displays and cell phones," says Banks. "In our study, we found that watching 3D effects up close might cause eye strain or make your vision blurry. Some people said their eyes were tired or complained of headaches."
