Around the time of CES there was a huge buzz surrounding 3D with Avatar making millions in screenings around the world and 3D TVs popping up everywhere (even in pubs.) Things in the 3D world have been a bit quiet in recent months but now it's firmly backagain confirming that 3D really is the focus of 2010 and the future of the gadget world.
Toy Story 3 promises to be the biggest film of the year and Nintendo are working on 3DS
But UK charity, The Eyecare Trust, has revealed that 10 – 12 per cent of Brits will have trouble viewing 3D video content. Over 6 million of us Brits have an issue with binocular vision, thus rendering 3D movies, games and TV is pointless for them.
This is not a problem specific to the UK either, the chairman of the charity said and you'll find a similar percentage worldwide. Now imagine 12% of China, that's a lot of 3D blindness and a multi-million pound loss for the 3D industry.
And to make things worse not only can you not see the image, if you are '3D blind' this can cause headaches, eye-strain and blurred vision. According to Eye care trust, even something as simple as a “lazy eye" can ruin the 3D experience and there are many visual impairments that can affect how 3D is seen.
So before you spend all your money on a 3D TV maybe you should try it out in the shop first.
Source: Pocket Lint
4 thoughts on “Over 6 Million Brits are ‘3D Blind’”
I can’t do 3D. I have a ‘Lazy Eye’ and have never been able to see 3D properly. I don’t look through both eyes at the same time. I either focus with my left or right eye, but it depends on what I’m looking at. I also can’t do the Magic Eye Pictures.
3D TV would be a waste of time for me. I think it’s a gimmick anyway. Would it not make you feel a little sick after watching it for prolonged periods. I think that the next technology will be Holographic Television.
I have a lazy eye too and like Paul I tend to focus with 1 eye at a time but I can see 3D fine as I trained my eye not to be lazy when I need to. When I look at 2D objects like a computer screen I use 1 eye because I don’t need stereo vision, the unused eye focuses to a soft blur and looks slightly to 1 side. My brain then disregards any info coming from that side instead of trying to see a double image.
Magic eye pictures are very easy for me as I can focus both eyes but move 1 independently to align the 2 hidden pictures to create the autostereogram.
There is no reason why 3D TV would make you feel sick, you look at 3D all day (well, most do and those who don’t or can’t won’t be able to watch 3D TV).
So what if 10% of the worlds population can’t see 3D TV. Sounds like the Eyecare Trust is saying that we shouldn’t have 3D TV because a minority can use it.
I doubt I’d want a 3D TV. I might give one a go but don’t think it’d be my thing. My right eye is the lazy one and is apparent in photographs and when i’m tired – it wanders.
The red and green type 3D glasses don’t work at all for me. However I did have a tiny bit of success when on holiday in America at MGM Studio’s when I was a kid. It was a big cinema screen and had grey tinted 3D glasses – although back then I didn’t wear normal specs so my eyes maybe have deteriorated? Who knows?
My optician told me that if the ‘lazy eye’ issue wasn’t resolved by age 7 then there is no way of correcting it. I can look through both eyes at once however I can’t focus properly and it takes a lot of concentration