Daily Times

ISLAMABAD – Manyof us are accustomed to watch movie or play games on our cell phone to pass time while we travel. But doctors say this is not a good habit for our health.

This habit can lead to cyber sickness or digital motion sickness. ENT surgeonDr Sanjay Bhatiaexplained the condition that while travelling, digital motion sickness is induced due to the mismatch of motion and vision, among other factors.

He said that this could cause strain on the eyes, blurred vision, headaches, giddiness and nausea, adding that It also affects various organs due to the disturbance of the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system responsible for the control of bodily functions such as breathing, the heartbeat and the digestive processes).

The symptoms are similar to those of motion sickness, but the two conditions are poles apart. In motion sickness, the brain registers movement, but in digital motion sickness, the brain registers movement and also has to process fast-moving images.

The experts has said that that training yourself with the start stop-repeat method (stop watching/playing when the discomfort starts, wait for the symptoms to subside, and repeat once you feel better) may help you get over ‘cyber sickness’.

However, there are no long-term studies that document the side-effects of this method, if any.