Stereoblindness (also stereo blindness) is the inability to see in
3D using
stereopsis
Stereopsis () is the component of depth perception retrieved through binocular vision.
Stereopsis is not the only contributor to depth perception, but it is a major one. Binocular vision happens because each eye receives a different image becaus ...
, or stereo vision, resulting in an inability to perceive stereoscopic depth by combining and comparing images from the two
eyes
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and con ...
.
Individuals with only one functioning eye always have this condition; the condition also results when two eyes do not function together properly.
Most stereoblind persons with two healthy eyes do employ
binocular vision
In biology, binocular vision is a type of vision in which an animal has two eyes capable of facing the same direction to perceive a single three-dimensional image of its surroundings. Binocular vision does not typically refer to vision where an ...
to some extent, albeit less than persons with normally developed eyesight. This was shown
in a study in which stereoblind subjects were posed with the task of judging the direction of rotation of a simulated transparent cylinder: the subjects performed better when using two eyes than when using their preferred eye. They appeared to judge the direction of rotation from the images in each eye separately and then to combine these judgments, rather than relying on differences between the images in the two eyes. Also, purely
binocular motion stimuli appear to influence stereoblind persons' sensation of self-motion. Furthermore, in some cases each eye can contribute to
peripheral vision
Peripheral vision, or ''indirect vision'', is vision as it occurs outside the point of fixation, i.e. away from the center of gaze or, when viewed at large angles, in (or out of) the "corner of one's eye". The vast majority of the area in th ...
for one side of the field of view (see also
monofixation syndrome
Monofixation syndrome (MFS) (also: microtropia or microstrabismus) is an eye condition defined by less-than-perfect binocular vision. It is defined by a small angle deviation with suppression of the deviated eye and the presence of binocular peri ...
).
However, there is an exception to this: those with a true congenital alternating squint. Those with true congenital alternating squints have two healthy eyes, and the ability to switch (by choice) between seeing with either eye. However, stereoscopic and three dimensional vision can never be achieved in this condition (attempts to train those with true congenital alternating squints into binocular vision results in double vision, which can be irreversible).
Notable cases
It has been suggested that Dutch
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...
may have been stereoblind, which would have aided him in flattening what he saw for the production of
2D works. Scientists have suggested that more artists seem to have stereoblindness when compared with a sample of people with stereo-acuteness (normal stereo vision).
British
neurologist
Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science, and writer. Born in Britain, Sacks received his medical degree in 1958 from The Queen's College, Oxford, before moving to the Uni ...
lost his stereoscopic vision in 2009 due to a
malignant tumor
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal ble ...
in his right eye and had no remaining vision in that eye. His loss of stereo vision was recounted in his book ''
The Mind's Eye'', published in October 2010.
[Murphy, John]
"Eye to Eye with Dr. Oliver Sacks"
, Review of Optometry, 9 December 2010
In 2012 one case of stereoblindness was reportedly cured by watching a
3D film
3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion pic ...
.
See also
*
Amblyopia
Amblyopia, also called lazy eye, is a disorder of sight in which the brain fails to fully process input from one eye and over time favors the other eye. It results in decreased vision in an eye that typically appears normal in other aspects. Amb ...
*
Stereopsis
Stereopsis () is the component of depth perception retrieved through binocular vision.
Stereopsis is not the only contributor to depth perception, but it is a major one. Binocular vision happens because each eye receives a different image becaus ...
*
Stereopsis recovery
Stereopsis recovery, also recovery from stereoblindness, is the phenomenon of a stereoblind person gaining partial or full ability of stereo vision (stereopsis).
Recovering stereo vision as far as possible has long been established as an approach ...
*
Strabismus
Strabismus is a vision disorder in which the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object. The eye that is focused on an object can alternate. The condition may be present occasionally or constantly. If present during a ...
*
"Stereo" Sue Barry
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{Stereoscopy
Vision
Blindness
3D imaging
Stereoscopy