The health effects of 3D are the aspects in which the human body is altered after the exposure of three-dimensional (3D) graphics. These health effects typically only occur when viewing stereoscopic, autostereoscopic, and multiscopic displays. Newer types of 3D displays like light field or holographic displays do not cause the same health effects.[ citation needed ] The viewing of 3D stereoscopic stimuli can cause symptoms related to vision disorders that the individual already had, as a person with a healthy binocular vision shouldn't experience any side effects under three-dimensional exposure. [1]
An increase in vergence-accommodation conflict [2] occurs as the eye changes its movement patterns to focus on the position of objects recreated by stereoscopy. [3] One may counter vergence-accommodation conflict when seeing a 3D movie or using a near-eye display system (e.g., augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)) adapting stereoscopic stimuli without registration function. [4]
Adverse health effects, such as oculomotor symptoms, motor disorientation, and visual fatigue on viewers after three-dimensional exposure, result from the mismatch between the visual, the proprioceptive and the vestibular stimuli. [3]
Nowadays a great array of optometrists have opted to use 3D presentations and therapies to measure eyesight accuracy. This is due to the test's requirement for the eyes to work coordinated with the brain in order to render a 3D image.
According to the American Optometric Association there are approximately from 3 to 9 million people with binocular vision problems. If an individual lacks binocular vision, then a 3D perspective is impossible and simply unachievable. Watching shows and/or movies in 3D can help to point out those problems earlier, working as a screening check and noticing the lack of binocular vision so that a proper treatment can be applied. [5] These problems may also reflect upon a fundamental vision-related problem not entirely linked to binocular vision issues. Symptoms sign that an eye condition is present, which may be:
Myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism. [5]
Strabismus is the lack of binocular vision. Eyes aren't properly aligned and so the input the brain has to render is in mismatch, preventing correct 3D stereoscopic perception from happening. [5]
Amblyopia, commonly known as “lazy eye”. It occurs when a single eye sends input to the brain while ignoring inputs from the other eye. This results in monocular vision. [5]
Disorder in which the subject finds it difficult to keep both eyes aligned with each other, causing asthenopia. [5]
When the inability to focus objects from varying distances is presented. Headaches, blurred vision and general vision discomfort are presented in subjects who have this condition and are exposed to 3D effects. [5]
Seeing 3D movies can increase rating of symptoms of nausea, oculomotor and disorientation, especially in women with susceptible visual-vestibular system. This is caused by a “disagreement” between the vestibular system and the visual input, causing that the body interprets it is moving, creating a contradiction with the vestibular system. [5] This effect is also noticeable with 2D movies shown in a theater with a large field of view, like in an IMAX dome theater or planetarium.
An optometrist should be consulted to check the eyesight if:
Basic binocularity is already developed when the child is from 6 to 12 months old. Vision is well formed when reaching the age of 3 years, by this moment children can watch three-dimensional graphics without involving risks to their eye health. In case of presenting Photosensitive epilepsy (PSE), precautions should be taken. The risk of an episode is present with 3D viewing as with 2D viewing. Although the risks are present in both cases there is no evidence, whatsoever that points out that 3D factors in visual effects have a greater influence on inducing PSE. [7]
It is rather important to emphasize the great benefits of regular eye exams. As of 2012, and according to the National Health Interview Survey, only an alarming percentage of 7% attend to an eye examination in the 12 months prior to the beginning of first grade. [6]
Motion sickness occurs due to a difference between actual and expected motion. Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation. Complications may rarely include dehydration, electrolyte problems, or a lower esophageal tear.
In biology, binocular vision is a type of vision in which an animal has two eyes capable of facing the same direction to perceive a single three-dimensional image of its surroundings. Binocular vision does not typically refer to vision where an animal has eyes on opposite sides of its head and shares no field of view between them, like in some animals.
Stereoscopy is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word stereoscopy derives from Greek στερεός (stereos) 'firm, solid', and σκοπέω (skopeō) 'to look, to see'. Any stereoscopic image is called a stereogram. Originally, stereogram referred to a pair of stereo images which could be viewed using a stereoscope.
Depth perception is the ability to perceive distance to objects in the world using the visual system and visual perception. It is a major factor in perceiving the world in three dimensions. Depth perception happens primarily due to stereopsis and accommodation of the eye.
An autostereogram is a two-dimensional (2D) image that can create the optical illusion of a three-dimensional (3D) scene. Autostereograms use only one image to accomplish the effect while normal stereograms require two. The 3D scene in an autostereogram is often unrecognizable until it is viewed properly, unlike typical stereograms. Viewing any kind of stereogram properly may cause the viewer to experience vergence-accommodation conflict.
Diplopia is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally or vertically in relation to each other. Also called double vision, it is a loss of visual focus under regular conditions, and is often voluntary. However, when occurring involuntarily, it results in impaired function of the extraocular muscles, where both eyes are still functional, but they cannot turn to target the desired object. Problems with these muscles may be due to mechanical problems, disorders of the neuromuscular junction, disorders of the cranial nerves that innervate the muscles, and occasionally disorders involving the supranuclear oculomotor pathways or ingestion of toxins.
The human eye is an organ of the sensory nervous system that reacts to visible light and allows the use of visual information for various purposes including seeing things, keeping balance, and maintaining circadian rhythm.
Stereopsis is the component of depth perception retrieved through binocular vision. Stereopsis is not the only contributor to depth perception, but it is a major one. Binocular vision happens because each eye receives a different image because they are in slightly different positions in one's head. These positional differences are referred to as "horizontal disparities" or, more generally, "binocular disparities". Disparities are processed in the visual cortex of the brain to yield depth perception. While binocular disparities are naturally present when viewing a real three-dimensional scene with two eyes, they can also be simulated by artificially presenting two different images separately to each eye using a method called stereoscopy. The perception of depth in such cases is also referred to as "stereoscopic depth".
Vision therapy (VT), or behavioral optometry, is an umbrella term for alternative medicine treatments using eye exercises, based around the pseudoscientific claim that vision problems are the true underlying cause of learning difficulties, particularly in children. Vision therapy has not been shown to be effective using scientific studies, except for helping with convergence insufficiency. Most claims—for example that the therapy can address neurological, educational, and spatial difficulties—lack supporting evidence. Neither the American Academy of Pediatrics nor the American Academy of Ophthalmology support the use of vision therapy.
A vergence is the simultaneous movement of both eyes in opposite directions to obtain or maintain single binocular vision.
Convergence insufficiency is a sensory and neuromuscular anomaly of the binocular vision system, characterized by a reduced ability of the eyes to turn towards each other, or sustain convergence.
The Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF) is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the discipline of optometry, with recent emphasis on behavioral optometry and vision therapy.
Fixation disparity is a tendency of the eyes to drift in the direction of the heterophoria. While the heterophoria refers to a fusion-free vergence state, the fixation disparity refers to a small misalignment of the visual axes when both eyes are open in an observer with normal fusion and binocular vision. The misalignment may be vertical, horizontal or both. The misalignment is much smaller than that of strabismus. While strabismus prevents binocular vision, fixation disparity keeps binocular vision, however it may reduce a patient's level of stereopsis. A patient may or may not have fixation disparity and a patient may have a different fixation disparity at distance than near. Observers with a fixation disparity are more likely to report eye strain in demanding visual tasks; therefore, tests of fixation disparity belong to the diagnostic tools used by eye care professionals: remediation includes vision therapy, prism eye glasses, or visual ergonomics at the workplace.
Stereoblindness is the inability to see in 3D using stereopsis, or stereo vision, resulting in an inability to perceive stereoscopic depth by combining and comparing images from the two eyes.
Wiggle stereoscopy is an example of stereoscopy in which left and right images of a stereogram are animated. This technique is also called wiggle 3-D, wobble 3-D, wigglegram, or sometimes Piku-Piku.
Alternating occlusion training, also referred to as electronic rapid alternate occlusion, is an approach to amblyopia and to intermittent central suppression in vision therapy, in which electronic devices such as programmable shutter glasses or goggles are used to block the field of view of one eye in rapid alternation.
Simulator sickness is a subset of motion sickness that is typically experienced while playing video games from first-person perspective. It was discovered in the context of aircraft pilots who undergo training for extended periods of time in flight simulators. Due to the spatial limitations imposed on these simulators, perceived discrepancies between the motion of the simulator and that of the vehicle can occur and lead to simulator sickness. It is similar to motion sickness in many ways, but occurs in simulated environments and can be induced without actual motion. Symptoms of simulator sickness include discomfort, apathy, drowsiness, disorientation, fatigue, and nausea. These symptoms can reduce the effectiveness of simulators in flight training and result in systematic consequences such as decreased simulator use, compromised training, ground safety, and flight safety. Pilots are less likely to want to repeat the experience in a simulator if they have suffered from simulator sickness and hence can reduce the number of potential users. It can also compromise training in two safety-critical ways:
Virtual reality sickness occurs when exposure to a virtual environment causes symptoms that are similar to motion sickness symptoms. The most common symptoms are general discomfort, eye strain, headache, stomach awareness, nausea, vomiting, pallor, sweating, fatigue, drowsiness, disorientation, and apathy. Other symptoms include postural instability and retching. Common causes are low frame rate, input lag, and the vergence-accommodation-conflict.
Stereoscopic motion, as introduced by Béla Julesz in his book Foundations of Cyclopean Perception of 1971, is a translational motion of figure boundaries defined by changes in binocular disparity over time in a real-life 3D scene, a 3D film or other stereoscopic scene. This translational motion gives rise to a mental representation of three dimensional motion created in the brain on the basis of the binocular motion stimuli. Whereas the motion stimuli as presented to the eyes have a different direction for each eye, the stereoscopic motion is perceived as yet another direction on the basis of the views of both eyes taken together. Stereoscopic motion, as it is perceived by the brain, is also referred to as cyclopean motion, and the processing of visual input that takes place in the visual system relating to stereoscopic motion is called stereoscopic motion processing.
Vergence-accommodation conflict (VAC), also known as accommodation-vergence conflict, is a visual phenomenon that occurs when the brain receives mismatching cues between vergence and accommodation of the eye. This commonly occurs in virtual reality devices, augmented reality devices, 3D movies, and other types of stereoscopic displays and autostereoscopic displays. The effect can be unpleasant and cause eye strain.