Visual Factors in Cybersickness: A Literature Survey and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality Technology
• Neuroscience of Vision

Background:

• Cybersickness is a prevalent adverse effect of virtual reality (VR) use, manifesting as nausea and disorientation.
• Understanding the impact of visual factors is crucial for mitigating VR-induced discomfort.
• This review focuses on low-level visual influences, excluding higher-level sensory or motion factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize evidence on how low-level visual factors influence cybersickness.
• To quantify the effects of specific visual parameters on motion-sickness-related symptoms in VR.
• To identify methodological limitations and suggest improvements for future research and VR design.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search across seven major databases (Scopus, PubMed, etc.) and citation tracking.
• Inclusion of 97 experimental studies with human participants published in peer-reviewed journals.
• Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to synthesize effect sizes (standardized mean differences) for various visual factors.

Main Results:

• Peripheral field of view restriction and independent visual backgrounds significantly reduced cybersickness severity.
• Visual oscillation, multidimensional visual motion, and simulated off-vertical axis rotation exacerbated cybersickness.
• Identified trends and limitations in current research methodologies.

Conclusions:

• Specific visual design choices, such as peripheral field of view and background independence, can mitigate cybersickness.
• Certain visual motion stimuli worsen cybersickness, providing insights for VR content creation.
• Recommendations are provided for improving study design, data reporting, and VR system design to enhance user comfort.