Samsung Warns of 3-D TV Health Concerns

April 19, 2010— -- The new 3-D TVs hitting the market this spring may be good for your imagination, but are they hazardous to your health?

Consumer electronics giant Samsung, which unveiled its 3-D TVs in March, recently issued guidelines on its Web site alerting viewers that watching the TVs could pose potential health risks.

The "warning" advises parents to monitor their children as they watch 3-D programming and cautions that it could trigger seizure or stroke in those with a family history of those conditions.

"We do not recommend watching 3-D if you are in bad physical condition, need sleep or have been drinking alcohol," it says, adding that consumers should not place 3-D TVs near open stairwells, cables or other objects that could injure disoriented viewers.

If viewers experience dizziness, nausea, loss of awareness, cramps or other symptoms, Samsung encourages them to stop watching the 3-D television and consult a medical specialist. According to some reports from earlier in the week, the warning released by Samsung also cautioned pregnant women and the elderly that they should "avoid utilizing the unit's 3D functionality."

The latest statement made no mention of pregnant women.

When asked about the apparent changes in wording, the company said it was reviewing the language and possible changes "because the current guidelines have caused unintended alarm."

In an e-mail Samsung said, "We've heard from consumers that they love the experience of watching 3-D content on Samsung TVs, however, we feel it would be prudent for Samsung as a responsible company to inform consumers of every aspect of 3-D TV, including potential side effects."

Samsung Reviewing Language Because of 'Unintended Alarm'

Doctors say the warnings shouldn't prevent people from watching 3-D movies or television programs, but add that exercising moderation is probably a good idea.

"What 3-D tries to do is fool the brain into thinking there's something there when it's not actually there," said Dr. Lisa Park, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

To trick the human brain, 3-D programs present two slightly different perspectives of the same object. When the brain processes the two images, it creates the perception of depth.

Eyes Move Unnaturally to Process 3-D Programming

Sometimes, however, watching 3-D can lead to eyestrain, fatigue or nausea, because the eyes must move unnaturally to reconcile the two images, Park said.

Normally, when people see objects coming toward them, she said, their eyes adjust in two ways.

The eyes slightly converge toward each other, and the lenses of the eyes change shape to keep the object in focus. But when they watch 3-D programs, she said, the eyes converge but they try not to change shape.

Adults might experience symptoms temporarily, but Park said that the effects on children could be more serious.

Connections between the eyes and the brain continue to develop until children are about 8- to 10-years-old, she said. While the effects have yet to be studied, she added that during that time, children might be particularly vulnerable to continous abnormal stimuli.

There's little difference between the effects of 3-D movies and 3-D TVs, she said, but added that the increased length and duration of exposure that typically accompanies any kind of TV watching could make it more of a problem.

Still, she said, "it's fine for children to see any kind of stimulus in moderation."

3-D Movie Triggers Seizure in Epileptic Teen

But doctors who have treated patients with certain kinds of epilepsy say that, though it is extremely rare, 3-D movies could trigger seizures.

"It's a form of reflex epilepsy. Some people's seizures may be induced by extremely provocative stimuli," said Dr. Souhel Najjar, director of neuroscience at Staten Island University Hospital. He added that video games, music and certain voices can also trigger the same response.

One of his 17-year-old patients has twice experienced seizures after watching 3-D movies, but he emphasized that it was the only example of a 3-D-induced seizure he'd seen in his 17 years at the hospital.

Najjar's patient had occipital lobe epilepsy, and he said the seizure was likely prompted by the over-activation of the parts of the brain responsible for visual processing.

"We need to emphasize that as of now this phenomena is extremely, extremely rare," he said, adding that only about 5 percent of the population is vulnerable to this kind of response.

Neurologist: 3-D-Induced Seizures Are Extremely Rare

Those who have epilepsy, especially photosensitive epilepsy, might need to take extra precautions, but Dr. Najja said the public in general is safe. He also suggested that if epilepsy runs in the family, parents might want to watch their children the first time they see a 3-D program.

"Just to be on the cautious side," he said. "For the most part, they're going to do just fine."

Dr. Jacques Moritz, director of gynecology at New York's St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, said that while there's no need for pregnant women to refrain from watching 3-D programs, they should be cautious when they stand up to make sure they're not dizzy.

"If there's an increased chance of motion sickness and someone falling over that would be a dangerous thing in pregnancy," he said. "Pregnant women should be careful when they see 3-D TV or movies because they're very sensitive to motion sickness already. Possibly, they may be more susceptible to motion sickness."

But for their part, fans of the new technology say the warning hasn't dampened their excitement.

Pierre Dube, 45, of Ontario, Canada, said he's still very interesting in buying a 3-D TV, regardless of the warning. Dube said he was already aware that some people could feel discomfort when watching 3-D programming, but, for him, the positives outweigh the negatives.

"For me, it's just so enjoyable to have the splendor of what the director intended," he said, adding that the recent blockbuster Avatar particularly blew him away. "It would not do it justice to not have it on 3-D."

The ABC News Medical Unit contributed to this report.