3D make you ill? Join the club

The 3D experience of Avatar has left some viewers feeling nauseous, but a vision expert says suffering motion sickness at the cinema is nothing new.

A minority of viewers worldwide have experienced discomfort, including nausea and sweating, while watching the film in 3D.

But they were no more likely to suffer motion sickness at Avatar than any other film, said Robert Jacobs, Associate Professor at Auckland University's optometry department.

"The 3D movies have been around for a long time, there's nothing specific about Avatar," he said.

Motion sickness is caused by a conflict between the senses, and even traditional 2D films had the potential to make people feel ill, he said.

"You think the environment's moving because so much of what you're seeing is moving, but in fact the rest of your senses, your balance, say you're not moving." Some people were more prone to motion sickness than others, but there was little they could do to prevent it, he said.

"Certainly closing one eye or getting rid of the glasses isn't going to change things."

It was reported yesterday that several viewers had begun feeling ill while watching Avatar.

More than 36,000 people had seen it at the Imax 3D theatre in Queen St, Auckland, but so far none had made a formal complaint, SkyCity marketing manager Lisa Chambers said.

"Its pretty full-on in 3D, and people are walking out going 'wow', but we actually haven't had any formal reports of anyone being sick," she said.

"It could be that someone has, but they certainly haven't expressed it to us."

Most people had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the film, with some seeing it three times. Those who had to leave early due to motion sickness would get a full refund, she said.

"If they came out part-way through the film, absolutely.

"But if they watch the film all the way through to the end and then decide they'd like a refund, I'm not sure about that."

- NZPA