Hygiene aspects of the VR systems applications

Applications of VR accommodate a wide spectrum of public and professional users. The safety issues and possible side effects of these applications are given little attention. All of the adverse reactions to VR may be classified under the terms cyberpathology and cybersickness. Reported physical pathologies include repetitive stress injury, immersion injury, and transmittable disease. Cybersickness has been described as a form of common motion sickness (seasickness, motion sickness) which has adverse effects upon the visual, neural, and psychological status. The authors note that the phenomenon is properly called a syndrome because of its wide variety of sign and symptoms. Symptoms include: drowsiness, general discomfort, apathy, headache, stomach awareness, disorientation, fatigue, and incapacitation. Nausea is a malfunction of the vestibule-ocular reflex (VOR) due to the VR system time lag. Adverse neurological effects on the central nervous system (CNS) are observed like those caused by an electromagnetic field (EMF) upon the body. An additional problem of the CNS represents "flicker vertigo". This is a condition in which individuals suffer from a seizure if observing a flickering light. Another problem observed during VR simulations is anxiety. This occurs in a number of ways such as a VR user experiencing acrophobia and claustrophobia. These anxieties, however, uncomfortable at the time, appear to have no permanent effects. To assure the safety of persons in contact with VR equipment it is necessary to minimize the possibility of misuse.