A couple months ago folks were looking on as I ran like a wild man from the entrance of an IMAX 3D theater showing Avatar in 3D. Only moments before, I had been sitting comfortably in our preferred seats (center of the theater, just above the entry aisle) when I turned to my wife and said, “Don’t let any other guy take my place honey…I forgot something in the car.” Without pausing for breath, I went tearing out of the IMAX theater because I knew the car was about six blocks away in the mall parking lot.
Well, what could have been so important? I have excellent eyesight, in fact better than anyone else I know since I had my Lasik surgery. I absolutely love the fact that I can read the smallest type on grocery store products as well as see clearly into the far distance. In that regard, I am the envy of all my friends. You see, as the human eye ages, it loses its ability to adjust focus between distant objects and close ones, thus the invention of bifocal glasses. But Lasik surgery is capable of setting the focal range of your dominant eye (the left in my case) to see distant objects and the focal range of the other eye to see close objects.
The technology is so precise that they can dial in an “overlap” range between 3-6 feet in which both eyes are both able to focus. This is perfect for social interactions and computer work but anything outside that range has one eye out of focus. As long as they determine correctly which is the dominant eye, the brain interpolates the imagery seen by the “soft focus” eye. In other words, the ingredients on a grocery store item, only the “close” eye is in focus but the experience is that I am seeing clearly because of the brain’s ability to interpolate.
Conversely, objects at a distance are in sharp focus with the dominant eye but blurry with the other eye and the brain normally interpolates correctly EXCEPT when watching a 3D movie at the theater. The brain’s natural ability to correct the issue within the brain itself is hampered by the 3D effect.
The stereoscopic 3D technology creates two different images, one for each eye and since the 3D image is artificially produced, the brain does not do nearly as good a job interpolating the blurry image. As a result, the 3D effect isn’t completely broken but it seriously misses the mark unless I wear corrective lenses that allow both eyes to focus at the distance of the theater screen. (Interestingly, this is not a problem for 3D games or 3D computer screens which are usually viewed in the “overlap” zone where both eyes are able to focus naturally.)
So, off I went, likkety-split to get my glasses out of the car. I keep them in my car because the only other time I need them is for night driving. Needless to say, I’m glad I went through the effort because the 3D in that movie was absolutely awesome. I have heard that some people complain that they don’t like the 3D effect and I can’t imagine why…except that maybe they have had this dual-focus Lasik procedure, or for some other reason cannot focus both eyes at the distance of the theater screen. I have heard that a small percentage of people claim they’re not able to see the 3D effect at all, whether its on TVs, at the theater, or even on the new Nintendo 3DS.
Admittedly, if your eyes are like mine and can’t perceive the 3D effect without corrective lenses, you probably will find the 3D effect disappointing, and it may be downright annoying. If that’s your experience, I recommend getting your eyes checked and then order yourself some glasses that allow both to focus at a distance.
You are missing one of the most important and beautiful innovations in entertainment technology since movies and televisions began to broadcast in color! A lot of industry leaders fought the standardization of broadcast for HDTV resolutions a while back and we are seeing a similar advent of new technology today with stereoscopic and auto-stereoscopic 3D in all forms of entertainment. I believe it will be the standard in just a few short years.