HEALTH Can 3D movies affect your eyesight?

3D films and your eyesight


Áine Higgins

The new generation of 3D movies have attracted record numbers to the cinema. However,  as more and more people flock to these films, reports of viewers experiencing problems with their eyes have also increased. This has led to a common misconception that 3D movies are bad for your eye-sight, when in fact they may be showing up people’s  underlying eye problems.
The most common problems reported with 3D movies are headaches, nausea, blurred vision or simply, an inability to see the three dimensional special effects of the movie. If you experience any of these symptoms after watching a 3D movie, a trip to your optometrist would be worthwhile.
The human visual system is built around our two eyes functioning together. Each eye receives a slightly different image, each of which are sent to the visual processing centres in the brain. There, the images received from each eye are put together and this is what allows us to view the world in three dimensions. We call this stereopsis, or stereo vision; the ability to process two images from the two eyes simultaneously.
When we go to see a normal movie we are viewing it in 2D. The movie image is projected flat onto the screen in front of us. To view the movie comfortably, we don’t need to use our stereopsis. The image from one eye or the other is enough to view the movie comfortably.
However, when we go to see a 3D movie we need to use our stereoscopic vision. The 3D effect is created artificially, so the eyes and the brain have to work much harder to fuse the images to get the correct sequence in order to see the movie in 3D.
If you go to a 3D movie and come out with a headache, nausea or notice your vision is blurred this is usually because you have a small muscle weakness in one eye. This means you can put stress on your binocular visual system when you put 3D glasses on. If you have one ‘lazy’ eye, you may not be able to see the film its 3D format at all.
If you think you may have problems with your eyes relating to watching 3D movies, go and have your eyes examined. Your optometrist can carry out various tests to establish your level of stereopsis. Depending on what they find, they may prescribe corrective lenses, or suggest some simple eye exercises or just simply give you some good advice on avoiding problems with 3D when you go to the movies.

Áine Higgins is an optician based in Mongey’s Opticians, Castlebar and Ballinrobe. She was the first Irish optician to be nominated for the UK and Ireland Optician of the Year 2009.