Ocean Connectors has a new trick up our sleeve this whale watching season! Boarding Ring has graciously donated eight pairs of their anti-motion sickness glasses for use with our 5th grade Whale Exploration Program. These innovative glasses are helping us improve the whale watching experience for even the most sensitive of stomachs.
Motion sickness, and specifically seasickness, is a tricky thing. It is caused when our brain receives conflicting signals between the motion that we feel as the boat moves with the waves and our eyes focusing on the deck of the boat, which appears to be a still and sturdy ground. This confusion sometimes causes nausea and other symptoms. While motion sickness is generally harmless, it can be quite uncomfortable, especially for children who have never experienced it before.
Boarding Ring combats this battle between our senses. These patented glasses, developed in France, have four rings imbedded in the frame that are each half-filled with a blue liquid. The liquid simulates an artificial horizon in your peripheral vision, moving with your body and letting your eyes see the movement they had been missing, thus eliminating the conflict between your inner ear and eyes.
During our whale watching trips, Ocean Connectors students will put on the Boarding Ring glasses as soon as they start feeling motion sick, and within 15 minutes the glasses will start to alleviate their symptoms. They only need to wear the glasses as symptoms appear, and can take them off as soon as they start to feel better – no need to wear the glasses all the time (although our students love how they look)! There is no medicine and no side-effects, and Boarding Ring glasses can be worn right over prescription lenses.
According to Boarding Ring, the glasses are 95% effective at reducing motion sickness, and our team has seen the positive impact firsthand. We are really impressed by the results, but take it from one of our students – “Wow, they really worked! I feel much better, and now I can go back to looking at whales.”
Thank you to Boarding Ring for helping Ocean Connectors students enjoy whale watching more fully by providing us with a revolutionary new tool to combat seasickness. We also thank The Maritime Alliance for connecting us with Boarding Ring at a 2016 Ocean STEM event. Visit the Boarding Ring website to get your own pair today!
