The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday said a recent survey showed that a majority of 3D-moviegoers feel unwell after watching, but that not enough movie theaters remind their audiences about ways to cope with feeling ill when watching a 3D movie.
The consumer watchdog conducted an online survey last month of 3D-moviegoers and found that nine out of every 10 people who watched 3D films felt either discomfort or unwell afterwards.
Most of them responded that they felt dryness or soreness in the eyes, while others felt dizziy, exhausted, saw double images, experienced soreness in the neck and shoulders, or headaches and other symptoms.
The foundation also found that of those who felt discomfort, 43 percent were nearsighted.
A majority (62 percent) of all those surveyed also said that they felt the 3D glasses were not the appropriate size for them.
Last week, the foundation also surveyed 10 movie theaters in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and -Kaohsiung cities, checking their policies on 3D movie screenings, ticket prices and 3D glasses services.
The foundation found that aside from Sunrise theater in Taichung City, none of the theaters surveyed displayed warnings at ticket booths for those with cardiovascular diseases, visual impairment or children under three years of age, who are most at risk of feeling sick when watching a 3D movie.
The foundation also found that of the 10 theaters surveyed, only Vieshow Cinemas Xinyi in Taipei City instructed moviegoers to take off their 3D glasses and close their eyes momentarily if they felt -unwell during the movie.
Nine of the theaters surveyed r-equire customers to pay a fee if they break or damage the 3D glasses, but as many as five theaters do not display that information near the ticket booths, the foundation said.
Not only can the replacement fees be as high as eight times the price of the 3D movie ticket, but it is unreasonable to transfer the cost of replacing the 3D glasses to consumers because the glasses do not fit everyone perfectly and the cost of the glasses to the theaters is not that high, foundation chairperson Joann Su (蘇錦霞) said.
The foundation urged the Government Information Office to advise the businesses to display proper warnings to 3D moviegoers at ticket booths to minimize the risks audiences would feel discomfort from watching the movie.
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