American Optometrists Say Nintendo 3DS Is Safe for All Kids

The American Optometric Association, which focuses on dispensing advice on how people can keep their eyesight as close to full potential as possible and detect early signs of sight based problems, has announced that it believes that the three dimensional mode that is included in the upcoming Nintendo 3DS handheld is safe to use even for children younger than six.

Nintendo, the company which has designed and is manufacturing the hardware, has issued a special warning saying that it is urging parents not to expose their children under the age of six to the three dimensional mode, because it could affect their still developing organisms.

The official position American Optometric Association is that “children younger than 6 can use the 3DS in 3D mode if their visual system is developing normally.”

The statement from the AOA also says, “Difficulties with appreciating 3D in movies, TV and Nintendo's 3DS, or discomfort when engaging in these activities may be an important sign of undetected vision disorders.”

The AOA explains that as long as both eyes and the brain work together well they can create a single, clear image from 3D sources even in young players, but that if any of the eyes has even a small problem then the three dimensional content will be blurry.

The association also says that small vision problems, which sometimes escape diagnostics, also affect reading comprehension in small children.

The Nintendo 3DS is a bold new device which aims to deliver full three-dimensional gaming experience to gamers without requiring them to use any of the unwieldy glasses that power the same experience on home consoles.

The new handheld is set to be released on February 26 in Japan for a price which stands at about 300 dollars and on January 19 dates and prices for North America and Europe will also be released.