It’s a serious question. Apparently, although 3D-ready TVs will hit the mass consumer market this year, many people are unaware that they can’t actually see 3D images properly.
Research by leading optometrists has shown that more than half of people between the ages of 18 and 38 suffer from abnormalities in their binocular vision, or their ability to use both eyes together. This can, in a small number of cases, lead to a lack of depth perception, which is of course crucial to seeing 3D images. The research also found that five percent of the tested population suffered from amblyopia and/or strabismus, both of which render 3D viewing impossible, according to information published by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD).
But what does this mean for the new wave of 3D content cresting towards us in 2010? The problems caused by these conditions can occur intermittently, allowing the viewer to see 3D only some of the time. As Dr. Bradley Habermehl, president of the COVD, explained: “This can definitely cause headaches or at least make viewing very uncomfortable.”
3D content is making its way into the living room, but not everyone will be able to see it.
The statement suggests that many people are unaware they cannot see fully in 3D, and that 3D content such as current blockbuster “Avatar” might highlight to them that something is wrong. Another condition that might become apparent in this way is known as visual motion hypersensitivity (VMH), which is characterised by feelings of dizziness when watching a film – even just in 2D – at the cinema. According to the COVD, this effect will be stronger for those watching content in 3D, making viewing such content a particularly stressful experience.
Another researcher, Dr. Susan R. Barry, a professor of neurobiology at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, underwent optometric vision therapy at the age of 48 to correct her so-called “stereo blindness” – her inability to see in three dimensions. Now that Barry can see 3D normally, she said of Avatar: “The scenes of the forest receding way into the distance and the seeds from the Tree of Life floating in front of the screen were fantastic.”