Differential effects of head-mounted displays on visual performance

Abstract

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) virtually augment the visual world to aid visual task completion. Three types of HMDs were compared [look around (LA); optical see-through with organic light emitting diodes and virtual retinal display] to determine whether LA, leaving the observer functionally monocular, is inferior. Response times and error rates were determined for a combined visual search and Go-NoGo task. The costs of switching between displays were assessed separately. Finally, HMD effects on basic visual functions were quantified. Effects of HMDs on visual search and Go-NoGo task were small, but for LA display-switching costs for the Go-NoGo-task the effects were pronounced. Basic visual functions were most affected for LA (reduced visual acuity and visual field sensitivity, inaccurate vergence movements and absent stereo-vision). LA involved comparatively high switching costs for the Go-NoGo task, which might indicate reduced processing of external control cues. Reduced basic visual functions are a likely cause of this effect.

Training situational awareness to reduce surgical errors in the operating room

“…This aims to improve team situational awareness and reduce communication breakdowns. Wearable technology using head‐mounted displays (such as Google Glass™; Google, Mountain View, California, USA) could place this monitor directly in the surgeon's field of vision. Although evidence on display design in operating rooms remains scarce in terms of patient‐related outcomes, shared displays of this sort significantly reduce decision‐making time in aviation teams.…”

Augmented reality technology in the manufacturing industry: A review of the last decade

“…Calibration of AR devices has been dealt with by Canessa et al (2014) for the case of a color camera, Liu et al (2016) for an AR guiding system, Kellner et al (2012) for an HMD, and Eck et al (2015), Itoh et al (2015) and Moser et al (2015) for OSTHDMs. Ergonomic issues were instead examined by Schega et al (2014), who evaluated the effect of different HMDs on visual performance of the users, and Tuma et al (2016) who used AR to evaluate the ergonomic state of a workplace.…”

The Visual Effects Associated with Head-Mounted Displays

“…Other visual problems such as myopia, heterophoria, fixation disparity, accommodation-vergence disorders, and abnormal Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT) also have been reported [15,18,20,21,24,27,28]. Using HMDs may cause accommodative spasm that in turn may lead to a transient myopia [20].…”