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Seeing in 3D

3D vision, also known as depth perception or stereopsis, describes the sensation of depth from combining two slightly different pictures seen in each eye into one 3D image.

Susan R. Barry, Professor of Biological Sciences at Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts talks about “Fixing My Gaze.”

“For most of my life, the last place I wanted to be was an eye doctor’s office. I had been cross-eyed since infancy, and despite three surgeries, remained cross-eyed and stereoblind. Scientific dogma indicated that my visual deficits resulted from changes in brain circuitry that occurred in infancy and could not be reversed in adulthood. So, when I finally consulted a developmental optometrist and began optometric vision therapy at age 48, I took a significant risk. I had to think beyond the conventional wisdom, abandon old visual habits, and master skills that most children acquire within the first six months of life. As I began to straighten my eyes and see in 3D, I learned that the adult brain is indeed capable of significant plasticity. Rewiring in the adult brain requires the presence of novel and behaviorally relevant stimuli, the conscious abandonment of entrenched habits, and the establishment, through intense practice, of new ones.”

As 3D viewing becomes more commonplace in movie theatres, on television and even in handheld gaming systems, American Optometric Association (AOA) doctors of optometry, together with industry experts from the 3D@Home Consortium, reinforce that 3D viewing is not harmful and actually has a distinct benefit of alerting individuals and parents to undetected vision disorders and eye diseases that, if caught early, are fully amenable to treatment.

This includes eye diseases like amblyopia. If amblyopia is not detected early and treated, it often causes not only a loss of 3D viewing but lifelong vision impairment and disability.

The above information was taken from: 3D Vision & Eye Health