A 13-year-old boy was left with a swollen face after experiencing a severe allergic reaction to his virtual reality headset.
Young Lewis Gray was overjoyed when he received Oculus Quest 2 – a virtual reality headset developed by Facebook Technologies – as a gift for Christmas from his grandparents.
Excited to give the device a try, the teenager placed the set on his head as he indulged in the revolutionary gaming experience.
While everything appeared fine at first, the boy’s mother, 33-year-old Kirsty Reed, noticed that her son’s face had swollen overnight on the following morning.
After taking her son to the hospital, the mother was told that the boy was suffering from an allergic reaction to the materials used in the headset.
It has since come to light that the developers have received thousands of similar complaints of skin irritation, swelling, and burning skin following the use of the headset.
“He played with it Christmas day on and off over a period of a few hours. When he woke up on Boxing Day morning there was irritation along his cheekbones and on his forehead,” Kirsty said.
“It almost looked like he was wearing blush. There was a slight amount of swelling so I gave him some Piriteze, but the next morning he’s woken up and his eyes are nearly shut with the swelling.”
As the mom added, things could have gotten much worse if her son didn’t take steroids and antihistamines to treat his condition.
“It’s worrying because you don’t know what’s going to happen or if the reaction’s going to go further onto the throat,” Kirsty added.
“Anaphylaxis was a major concern as the swelling was so much. The doctors had said if you get more irritation in his eyes or it swells more we would have to go straight back. It could have completely closed his eyes if it had continued.”
As it happens, Oculus’ safety manual includes warnings telling users to stop using the device should they experience skin irritation.
The company previously also confirmed reports of users who suffered an allergic reaction following the use of the VR headset.
“We’ve received reports that a very small percentage (0.01%) of Quest 2 customers were experiencing skin irritation after using the Quest 2 removable foam facial interface,” they acknowledged in July.
The company has since also reassured potential buyers that all new sets come with a silicone cover that prevents potential damage to the skin.
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