Convergence micropsia is a type of

micropsia Micropsia is a condition affecting human visual perception in which objects are perceived to be smaller than they actually are. Micropsia can be caused by optical factors (such as wearing glasses), by distortion of images in the eye (such as optica ...

characterized by the reduction in apparent size of objects viewed when the

eyes An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

are more converged than they need to be for the distance of the object from the eyes. It occurs mainly during

stereoscopy Stereoscopy, also called stereoscopics or stereo imaging, is a technique for creating or enhancing the depth perception, illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any ster ...

and when viewing autostereograms (such as Magic Eye pictures). In these cases, the object is depicted by the two half images of a stereogram or by the contents of the autostereogram. Moving the stereogram or the autostereogram closer to the eyes increases convergence of the eyes and reduces the apparent size of the depicted object. If a correctly arranged stereogram or autostereogram is viewed with crossed eyes, then the depicted objects will appear smaller than if it is viewed with eyes diverged or parallel. Convergence micropsia could also occur if one looked at the world through base-out prisms.

Explanation

Apparent size is influenced by the size of the retinal image of an object and by its apparent distance from the eyes. This is shown clearly by Emmert's law, in which the apparent size of an

afterimage An afterimage, or after-image, is an image that continues to appear in the eyes after a period of exposure to the original image. An afterimage may be a normal phenomenon (physiological afterimage) or may be pathological (palinopsia). Illusory ...

(e.g., the bright spot we see after looking at a camera flash) is influenced by where it is viewed. An afterimage has a fixed size on the retina, resulting from

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

of the

rod cell Rod cells are photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye that can function in lower light better than the other type of visual photoreceptor, cone cells. Rods are usually found concentrated at the outer edges of the retina and are used in ...

s and

cone cell Cone cells or cones are photoreceptor cells in the retina of the vertebrate eye. Cones are active in daylight conditions and enable photopic vision, as opposed to rod cells, which are active in dim light and enable scotopic vision. Most v ...

s of the

retina The retina (; or retinas) is the innermost, photosensitivity, light-sensitive layer of tissue (biology), tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some Mollusca, molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focus (optics), focused two-dimensional ...

. When an afterimage is viewed on the far wall of a room it looks large; when it is viewed on one's hand, it looks small. It is consistent with the

geometry Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...

of the world: an object with a particular visual angle (given by the size of the retinal image) must be large if it is far away and small if it is near. Convergence micropsia implies that the state of convergence of the eyes contributes to determining the distance of an object from the eyes, that it acts as a depth cue. At six meters, to view an object without double vision the optic axes of the eyes are essentially parallel (no convergence). At closer distances, to view an object without double vision the optic axes need to approach each other at an angle (increasing convergence). Normally, the convergence angle gives accurate information about the distance of objects. Under the conditions that yield convergence micropsia, the overconverged vergence angle specifies a shorter distance than the actual distance of the object; this affects apparent size.

Notes

{{reflist Optical illusions Eye 3D imaging

Explanation

See also

Notes