The typical way in which one can experience a movie or television show in 3-D is through the use of special 3-D glasses. In order to understand how these glasses create the three dimensional effect, you must understand how we perceive depth. We can see objects in three dimensions because each one of our eyes sees a slightly different image. Our brain compares these two images in order to accurately gauge depth. This is called binocular vision. Wearing 3-D glasses during a movie replicate this effect, thus causing the images to appear in front of your face. Operating in a similar fashion, Video game manufacturer Nintendo recently released the gaming portable “Nintendo 3DS”, a video game system that creates 3D images without the use of special eye ware. The 3DS utilizes a parallax barrier on one of its screens, that when viewed from the proper angle, creates the 3-D effect.
All of this visual distortion however is increasing the amount of stress on the eye, creating temporary loss of depth perception and headaches. The loss in depth perception is thanks to the effect called “binocular dysphoria”. Normally, our eyes use multiple visual cues in order to perceive depth. When we have prolonged exposure to 3-D however, our eyes only get depth information from one cue, causing our eyes to ignore everything else. When we look away from the 3-D screen, our eyes are still ignoring the other visual cues, causing the loss in perception and head pain. This can be especially dangerous if using stairs or operating vehicles. There is also concern that 3-D exposure to young children has the potential to permanently damage their vision. Up until the age of 7, children are still developing the muscles in their eyes that will determine their quality of their vision. Over exposure to 3-D content at such a young age can compromise this ocular development, causing vision problems in adolescence and adulthood.
The reported discomfort and distortion that 3-D exposure creates varies from each individual. I have watched two hour length movies in 3-D, and I only felt a slight strain on my eyes; my vision was completely fine after the movie. With exception to young children, 3-D technology does not seem to pose any serious threat to our vision quality. It is definitely worth experiencing once. If you find it to your liking, 3-D is a great way for your visual media to become more immersive. However, don’t be surprised if you find yourself tripping on your feet or rubbing your head in pain because of the experience. If this problem becomes more common, companies may have to develop a safer and more enjoyable way to experience 3-D. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing any 3-D televisions or gaming systems until you’ve experienced the effect firsthand. Whether or not 3-D technology is a revolution in visual media or a fleeting fad, it’s definitely a topic that we should keep our eyes on.
