3D Vision

Are the latest 3-D blockbusters like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland an amazing cinematic experience or just one big headache?

If you’ve experienced visual discomfort or headaches whilst watching a 3-D movie then you’re not alone. You could be one of six million people in the UK who suffer from poor binocular vision.

3-D technology relies on our eyes’ ability to work together as a co-ordinated team to achieve an accurate perception of depth.

However, more than one in ten of us (12%) has a visual impairment that means our brains are unable to correctly process the individual images that are transmitted to it via our left and right eyes.

This leads to an inconsistency in viewing the three spatial dimensions (height, width and depth) required to enjoy 3-D films in all their glory.

You may not have realised that you have poor binocular vision before because your brain will often try to compensate for any visual inadequacies.

If left untreated binocular disorders such as amblyopia can affect your ability to read well and result in a greater propensity to suffer from screen fatigue when working at a VDU or watching TV for long periods of time.

The good news however is that binocular conditions can be easily detected during a routine eye examination and treatment may be as simple as a new pair of glasses or some vision therapy.

So, if you haven’t had your eyes checked for two years or more then it could be time to pop along to your local optician for a sight test.