3D film trend prompts eyestrain complaints

The increase in popularity of 3D films in UK cinemas has resulted in complaints of eyestrain and headache from the public, according to The Daily Telegraph (January 11).

With over 80 per cent of the takings at the box office for the latest James Cameron film, Avatar, resulting from 3D viewings, and with forthcoming titles such as Alice in Wonderland, the new Shrek film and a 3D remastered version of Star Wars, such concerns are likely to be raised in optical practices.

3D perception relies on a slightly disparate image being presented to each eye such that the brain, when fusing the image, can use the difference to add to other depth clues, such as shading and perspective, to enhance the 3D perception. Those other depth clues are what help us to imagine three dimensions when viewing a traditional 2D screen image, and also what allows someone with uniocular vision to perceive depth to a reasonable extent.