A MUM has told how her son's Christmas was ruined after he suffered an allergic reaction to a virtual reality headset.

Lewis Gray, 13, was rushed to hospital after trying out his new Oculus Quest 2 from his grandparents on December 25.

The next day, his mum Kirsty Reed, 33, started to notice his skin turn red around his eyes and forehead.

Lewis' eyes then began to swell shut, prompting his dad Christopher to rush him to hospital.

Mum Kirsty, from Chertsey, Surrey, said: "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.

"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 his eyes are nearly shut with the swelling."

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Doctors at St Peter's Hospital in Lyne, told Lewis he was likely suffering a delayed allergic reaction to the headset and prescribed him some antihistamines and precautionary steroids.

Meanwhile, a recall alert showed Facebook received 5,716 reports of facial skin irritation, with reactions including rashes, swelling, burning, itching, hives, and bumps, following use of the kit.

Kirsty said: "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.

"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."

The Oculus Quest 2 – also known as Meta Quest 2 – is a virtual reality headset created by Facebook Technologies, and can be used to play games.

Facebook, who own Oculus, started receiving reports of skin irritation in December 2020 and started an investigation.

Lewis is quite fortunate he doesn't have underling allergens but for someone who's prone for anaphylaxis it could kill someone.

This was then updated in April, saying they had "identified a few trace substances that are normally present in the manufacturing process which could contribute to skin discomfort."

It added that, even though these were below industry standard, they had "changed [their] process to reduce them even further."

But, in July, another notice was put on the Oculus website stating that as more people had started using the headset, more cases came in.

They also then offered a free silicone cover to headset owners to protect their skin, and that all new units would include one from August 24.

They also received approximately 45 reports of consumers requiring medical attention.

Lewis' device did come with the silicone cover, but Kirsty claims there was no indication as to why it was there.

And while there were warnings included for epilepsy and that the product wasn't suitable for children under 13, Kirsty couldn't see anything mentioning potential skin irritation.

WORRYING REPORTS

The mum-of-two said: "It didn't even come with cover on it, it's separate which makes you think if this is an issue why doesn't it come with it on?

"It's a really high-tech gaming device that a lot of children want and we need this warning about the potential risks involved.

"Why are they still producing it exactly the same when they know there's a problem?

"Lewis is quite fortunate he doesn't have underling allergens but for someone who's prone for anaphylaxis it could kill someone."

The furious mum contacted Oculus which has since told her to stop her son using the product and that they will contact her about next steps.

Andrew Bosworth, head of Facebook Reality Labs, published a letter in July addressing the reports of skin irritation.

It read: "We took the skin irritation reports very seriously as soon as we learned about them and, beginning in December, we promptly conducted a thorough investigation including receiving advice from leading dermatologists and toxicologists.

"These experts have advised that skin irritation can occur in some segments of the population from many household items-even things like tomatoes or shampoo-and that the rates we've seen are in line with expectations.

"Our investigation determined that our manufacturing process is safe, meaning no unexpected nor hazardous contaminants were found in the Quest 2 foam interface or manufacturing process."

The Sun Online has contacted Facebook for comment.

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