It seems that more and more movies and now television are going 3D.  In the real world, we see in three dimensions all of the time.  We perceive objects relative to their size and distance and relation to other objects.  A standard TV or movie screen is a flat, two dimensional surface.  It takes some “tricking” the eyes and brain to make this two dimensional screen appear 3D.  The 3D screen takes the one image that we see and superimposes another identical image over, but slightly off the original.  This is why a 3D screen looks blurry without the special glasses.  The glasses are polarized so that one eye sees part of the picture while the other eye sees the superimposed image.  This fools the brain into seeing depth in the objects, thus making it appear as if objects are floating in front of the eyes.

Some may experience eye strain, headaches and eye fatigue viewing 3D.  These are short term symptoms that have no long term effect on the eyes, but may be a sign that the person does not have good binocular vision (using the eyes together).  Similarly, those that don’t have binocular vision, may not be able to appreciate 3D.

Dr. Carney is available for all your eye care needs by appointment at Welch/Wallace Laser Center by calling (318) 448-0221.