Harvard doctor who consulted for Google Glass clarifies that he’s seen no evidence of health risks

Responding to a recent Betabeat article about headaches that some users are experiencing when wearing the Google Glass headset, Harvard optometrist and Google consultant Eli Peli clarified that he has yet to encounter any evidence of health risks for Glass or head-mounted displays in his research.

Dr. Peli noted that “very few” Glass users have reported discomfort or headaches during the trial phase. He compared any initial discomfort to that of switching to a new pair of glasses and noted that most users find that it goes away within a couple days. Still, Glass users are advised to use the headset for “micro-interactions” as intended instead of spending an extended amount of time looking up at the display.

The Glass-specific prescription frames that I have exceed Google’s recommended limit, so I can’t really speak to normal use. The lenses for the frames are highly curved, which causes some distortion at the edges at my level of prescription. However, the limited time that I’ve spent using Glass hasn’t produced any major discomfort other than the usual adjustment I would have to a new set of lenses. My eyes do get tired pretty quickly of looking up to the corner, though, so I can see how prolonged use could cause headaches for some.

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