It’s the peak of summer and all the blockbuster movies are out. Have you watched Transfomers, Kung Fu Panda 2 or Cars 2 in 3-D and experienced a little bit of eye strain? Well, you are not alone. 3-D viewing is based on your eyes constantly converging and diverging so you can view objects in front and behind the movie screen. The best tip to reduce the eye strain would be to sit in the back of the movie theatre.
Some of my patients are not able to watch 3-D at all like Johnny Depp. The main reason is that you need two good eyes working together to view a 3-D image. Some examples that may cause problems for 3-D viewing may include:
1. Lazy eye. There are two types of lazy eye which includes a refractive amblyopia (very different prescription for both eyes) or strabismic amblyopia (eye turn). Typical treatments include glasses, prism, vision therapy or surgery.
2. Undetected eye disease. Cataracts, macular degeneration or a few diseases that can decrease the vision in one eye so images are not able to fuse to see 3-D.
3. Poor binocular vision. Poor accomodation, convergence and divergence to due muscle lag may also affect 3D vision. Vision therapy usually helps improve your binocular vision.
If you notice any of the following symptoms, it is highly recommended that you visit your optometrist to evaluate your eyes to ensure that your eyes sees clearly and also functioning properly together.
1. Do you experience eyestrain or headaches even if you sit in the back of movie theatre?
2. Do you feel nauseous after or during watching the 3-D movie?
3. Is it difficult to focus after watching a 3-D movie?
Binocular vision is also important for your computer vision. If your eyes are not working properly together, it may lead to eyestrain. If you have any questions or concern, feel free to email us.