What Are Motion Sickness Glasses—and Do They Work?
Updated: Jun. 14, 2022
If you’re wondering if motion sickness glasses are a must-have travel accessory or a dud, we tested them so you don’t have to.
Whether you’re prone to getting sick when traveling or find that it’s difficult to read without getting nauseous, you understand the misery of motion sickness. For me, it’s the latter. I can’t seem to keep nausea at bay when I read a book in the car or even browse my phone, which isn’t ideal for long road trips when all you want to do is catch up on your favorite reads.
Sure, there are a few tricks and natural remedies to alleviate motion sickness, like pills, patches, or even putting a finger in your ear. But it’s only after nausea sets in that these solutions start working their magic.
This is why motion sickness glasses could be the next best fix—or at the very least, an odd but useful travel accessory to have on hand just in case. These funky-looking spectacles have been racking up views on social media as the trick to prevent motion sickness before it creeps up. After seeing several clips on TikTok and Instagram of users talking about these strange-yet-practical goggles, I decided to put them to the test to see if, once and for all, they could kill my nausea while reading in the car.
What are motion sickness glasses?
What are motion sickness glasses, you ask? They’re googly-eye-like glasses that contain two holes to look out of, and two holes to the sides of each eye. The holes at the sides protect the wearer’s peripheral vision from becoming sensitive to motion, which is often what brings on that dizzy, sick feeling. But these glasses don’t contain lenses. Instead, they use a leveling liquid to resynchronize eyes as they move.
They certainly aren’t racking up views on social media for being fashionable, but they are an uber-practical item to always keep in the car.
Just like any good pair of glasses, the goggles came with a storage pouch for safe traveling. I was pleasantly surprised by how bendy they are, which makes sense, as they’re designed to stretch and fit most adults, teens, and even children. After playing around with them for a few minutes I had achieved an optimal fit.
According to the product’s description, you can throw the glasses on when you’re feeling dizzy or nauseous and wear them for 10 to 12 minutes to calm down. I, however, wasn’t about to wait until I was feeling sick to wear them. I wanted to test how well they performed while I read, browsed my phone, and sat pretty in the back of my friend’s car on our Sunday road trip.
How we tested the motion sickness glasses
To give these specs a proper test run, I tried out two things: preventing motion sickness while riding in a car and preventing dizziness and nausea while reading in a car. Luckily, I already had a two-hour road trip planned, so I knew I’d have plenty of opportunity to give them a test drive.
Not long into my car ride, I threw on my quirky goggles and relaxed—although it was a little hard to truly relax as my road trip buddies laughed at how ridiculous I looked.
After a solid 30 minutes of riding in the car while resting—and experiencing no motion sickness—it was time to test the glasses while reading and browsing my phone. While I don’t get very motion sick from riding in a car or boat, any time I whip out a book it’s over, so I knew this would be the ultimate test.
Full transparency, it was so hard to not think about whether the glasses were going to work while I read. It was like I was waiting—no, hoping—to feel uneasy. Much to my surprise, however, the sick feelings never came, even after reading 50 pages.
Product features
The motion sickness glasses come with a zipper pouch perfect for traveling. Four anti-vertigo rings (two for viewing, two for balancing peripheral vision) contain blue liquid around the edges that help balance nervous system differences caused by moving objects. The blue liquid works to create an artificial horizon while the wearer is in motion, keeping sight balanced while preventing sickness.
The viewing holes are a bit small. Since I have larger than average eyes, they needed to be pushed all the way up on my face for optimal viewing. Overall, they fit similarly to standard glasses—aside from the obvious fact that there are two side-facing holes and liquid around the centers.
Pros
What I like about motion sickness glasses:
- They kept me from becoming nauseous while reading in the car
- They don’t have to be worn for long periods of time to work
- Affordable price point
- They come with a zipper pouch
Cons
Consider these factors before you buy:
- After one hour of wearing them, the glasses were uncomfortable
- They don’t come in multiple sizes
What other reviewers had to say
Verified Amazon reviewer Tim writes, “We tried these glasses on our grandkids for our latest vacation, and they were able to watch their tablets in the car without any discomfort.”
Fellow verified purchaser Mary shares, “These glasses look SO goofy on your face, but I am so impressed with how well they work that it’s worth it! I don’t really get carsick, but I usually experience that heavy feeling in my head if I try to read or look at my phone in the car. I could tell within five minutes that they were working, and now I leave them in my husband’s car all the time and wear them any time I’m the passenger!”
“I get car sick easily and purchased these so I could hotspot and work on my laptop while on a road trip,” Olivia writes. “I couldn’t believe how well these worked! I worked for three hours on windy mountain roads and never had any nausea. I was truly shocked. I recommend this product to everyone!”
Final verdict
With more than 1,000 five-star ratings on Amazon and a stamp of approval from someone who can’t read in vehicles without feeling icky (that’s me), the motion sickness glasses are a helpful fix for preventing nausea.
Are they a must-have travel accessory? It depends. If you or someone you know (read: kids) constantly needs to pack extra gear to keep from getting sick, these motion sickness glasses are for you. But if your motion sickness is a less than normal occurrence, then I’d say it’s not a try-or-die purchase.
Where to buy motion sickness glasses
Our favorite motion sickness glasses are available on Amazon for $24. Store a pair in your glove box or bag—you’ll be happy to have them on hand when motion sickness creeps in.
Originally Published: June 14, 2022
