Stroboscopic vision as a treatment for motion sickness: strobe lighting vs. shutter glasses.
BACKGROUND
Countermeasures (e.g., drugs, training, etc.) designed to combat the problem of space motion sickness (SMS) have had only limited successes. A possible solution for SMS and terrestrial motion sickness may rest in preventing retinal slip via stroboscopic vision.


METHODS
There were 32 subjects who participated in a study to investigate the effect of stroboscopic illumination on motion sickness using either a strobe light or liquid crystal display (LCD) shutter glasses. There were 19 subjects who read text and made +/- 20 degrees head movements in the horizontal plane (yaw) at 0.2 Hz while wearing left-right reversing prisms and exposed to 4-Hz stroboscopic or normal room illumination (control condition). Motion sickness was scored using the Miller and Graybiel scale and subjective self-ratings. In a crossover design, testing was repeated using stroboscopic LCD shutter glasses with an additional 13 subjects and 6 subjects from the first condition.


RESULTS
During the experiment with a strobe light, motion sickness scores were significantly lower than in the control condition (chi 0.32 strobe vs. chi 3.79 light = p < 0.003). Results with the LCD shutter glasses corresponded with those when the environment was strobed in an otherwise dark room (chi 1.0 glasses vs. chi 4.1 light = p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Stroboscopic illumination reduced the severity of motion sickness symptoms, and shutter glasses with a flash frequency of 4 Hz are as effective as a strobe light. Stroboscopic illumination appears to be an effective countermeasure where retinal slip is a significant factor in eliciting motion sickness due to either self- or surround-motion.
Reschke
Millard F
MF
Neurosciences Laboratories, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA. millard.f.reschke@nasa.gov
Somers
Jeffrey T
JT
Ford
George
G
D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions; D008027:Light; D050866:Liquid Crystals; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009039:Motion Perception; D018489:Space Motion Sickness / Q000628:therapy*