Fast-forward to recent adulthood, when I came across some bizarre-looking glasses that promised to deter motion sickness thanks to the magic of their cartoonish shape. My unfortunate and highly common condition made me the perfect candidate to put these glasses to the test, no matter how ridiculous they made me look.
The flexible frames of these spectacles are made up of four circles filled halfway with a blue liquid that, when worn, can only be seen in your peripheral vision. According to the maker, this design promises nothing less than complete sickness relief, even when reading or looking at your phone in the car —something completely unheard of for motion sickness sufferers.
I’ll cut right to the chase and say that these things worked. Like, shockingly well.
In the name of science (and at the risk of my stomach), I wore the glasses sitting in the backseat of the car, while reading, as my partner drove around. Normally, and especially under these circumstances, it would take less than a few minutes for the nausea and headaches to hit. But this time, my symptoms never came. Was this just the placebo effect in action, or was there actual science behind this
To find out, I spoke with Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya, board-certified otolaryngologist and professor of otolaryngology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School. He explained that motion sickness is caused when a disconnect occurs in the brain’s ability to detect where the body is in motion.
“The brain depends on sensory input from many organ systems, such as the eyes and inner ear, to tell if the body is in motion and where it’s positioned in space,” Bhattacharyya said. “When you get into a car that’s moving, your organ systems are still sensing the motion around you, but the body itself is stable, causing the integration of those messages to get disrupted.”
Although Bhattacharyya can’t say for sure all the reasons the glasses are effective, he thinks that the liquid sloshing back and forth inside the rings helps the eyes to recognize movement and create an artificial horizon, allowing the brain to bridge the gap between motion and stability.
“In my opinion, if [these] work for someone, I think it’s a lot better than taking anti-nausea medications, which are mainly all just sedatives,” Bhattacharyya added.
Had these ridiculous-looking glasses existed much earlier on in my life, my passenger commuting experiences would have been a lot more comfortable. If you or your child experiences a similar struggle, it might be worth your while to grab yourself a pair before your next road trip, plane ride, or cruise.
