Clearing doubts about the effects of 3D on vision

A joint project carried out by the Official College of Optical Optometrists (COOOC), TV3 Televisió de Catalunya and the Guild of Cinema Businesses of Catalonia, with the endorsement of the Faculty of Optics and Optometry of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, launches the first collective vision test in cinemas.

This weekend the first binocular vision test was launched in cinemas. The initiative features Víctor, the first three-dimensional optometrist in history, and is part of the “Live in 3D!” campaign, promoted by the College of Optical Optometrists of Catalonia (COOOC), TV3 Televisió de Catalunya and the Guild of Cinematographers of Catalonia, with the endorsement of the Faculty of Optics and Optometry of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

The objective of this simple two-minute test is to detect defects in binocular vision, a problem that affects 900,000 people in Catalonia and more than 5 million in Spain, and that makes it difficult, and may even prevent, from appreciating the effects of 3D. The campaign will be on display until January 2012, reaching more than 400,000 viewers and with the collaboration of more than 800 optometrists and 85 3D screens.

One of the key messages of “Viu in 3D!” is that 3D screens (cinema, television, video games...) properly applied are not harmful to vision. What's more: they can constitute an excellent training method, since they stimulate the use of both eyes in a joint and coordinated way, that is, binocular vision. “In most cases, the difficulty of perceiving 3D effects cannot be attributed to the technology of the viewing systems, but to the presence of an alteration in the viewer's binocular vision,” explains Alfons Bielsa, president of the COOOC.

"As professionals responsible for ensuring visual health, we wanted to launch a campaign to inform and raise awareness among the population about the importance of having good binocular vision. Not only to be able to watch and enjoy 3D movies, but because we live in a three-dimensional world, so having effective binocular vision is to improve our relationship with the environment. Without a doubt, the projection of a simple test in a place as busy as movie theaters is a very effective way to offer a quick, simple and universal option. to discover the quality of our binocular vision,” adds Bielsa.

The 'Viu en 3D!' visual test is a simple basic self-diagnostic test of binocular vision that will be projected on 85 3D screens throughout Catalonia just before the film begins. It lasts only two minutes and consists of three types of tests. This test has been produced entirely by TV3 Televisió de Catalunya and is endorsed by the Faculty of Optical and Optometry of Terrassa.

The person in charge of explaining to the spectators the steps that must be followed to correctly carry out this test is Víctor, the first three-dimensional optician in the world.

"It is a character that we have created for this campaign. It is a hand that represents the sign of victory for binocular vision, because with the joint and coordinated vision of both eyes we gain in visual quality," explains Lluís Bielsa, vice president of the COOOC. "In addition, it has its own website, www.victor3d.cat, aimed at the general public and where information is provided on different aspects of binocular vision, including the test that is projected in movie theaters."

The entire production of the test has been carried out by TV3, due to its pioneering experience in the State of producing and broadcasting 3D content and for its commitment to public service, both at the audiovisual level and in participation with different professional and research sectors.

According to Eloi Molinas, head of the Production and Graphics team in Temps Real of TV3, Televisió de Catalunya, “this project is an example of returning to society everything that it invests in its public television, not only in terms of content and information, but also as a public service, at a transversal level.” The production and real-time graphics team of TV3's Department of Image and Artistic Services, led by Paulí Subirà, has promoted this project, which places TV3, once again, at the forefront of audiovisual innovation at an international level.

From the Gremi d'Empresaris de Cinemes de Catalunya, its president, Camilo Tarrazón, values this initiative very positively, where "movie theaters provide added value to their spectators, in addition to their usual recreational function. Through the pioneering 3D format, more than 400,000 spectators will be able to use our infrastructures to find out if they suffer from any type of binocular vision dysfunction and correct it, and they will know that this is not due to the 3D system but to visual problems of the viewer himself.”

For her part, the dean of the Faculty of Optics and Optometry of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Ester Guaus, highlights that the test will be an unprecedented visual health study among the Catalan population but that, in addition, "it will also highlight and help better disseminate the role of the optometrist as a health professional who takes care of visual health, which is sometimes little known socially. The figure of the optometrist who does this is known. refractions, assembles and sells glasses or fits contact lenses, but it is often unknown that it actually analyzes the state of visual health and that it is capable of detecting very broad dysfunctions.”

On the other hand, viewers will also receive an information brochure about binocular vision: why we see in 3D, warning symptoms of a possible visual problem, advice on vision, etc. More than one million leaflets will be distributed in cinemas and opticians participating in the campaign promoted by the COOOC.

More than 800 optometrists join the campaign

Parallel to the projection of the test on the 3D screens in movie theaters, the “Viu en 3D!” campaign It will also be present in more than 800 optometrist offices throughout Catalonia, where those viewers who have not passed the tests, because some anomaly has been detected in their binocular vision, will be able to undergo a complete examination by a professional optometrist.

The opticians participating in this initiative are identified by a distinctive sticker with the image of the “Viu en 3D!” campaign. in your window.

In addition, the COOOC has also created a kit specially designed for them of “Viu en 3D!”, with informative diptychs for their clients, exhibitors, copies of the binocular vision test and a work protocol prepared by the Facultat d’Òptica i Optometria de Terrassa (UPC).

In a next phase of this campaign, it is planned to also reach schools with a series of conferences aimed at 1st year ESO students. These talks will be given by optometrists and, in addition to explaining how the visual system works and providing tips for good binocular vision, 3D vision tests will be carried out among the students.

12% of the population, unable to appreciate the 3D effect

Dizziness, headaches, tiredness or double vision are some disorders that can appear while watching a 3D movie. In addition, in everyday life other signs may occur, such as difficulty calculating distances, effort when focusing when reading, reading comprehension deficit... and even poor academic performance. “In fact, it is one of the main causes of school failure and poor work performance,” says Alfons Bielsa, president of the COOOC.

It is estimated that almost 12% of the population, which would be equivalent to more than 900,000 Catalans and 5 million Spaniards, is unable to perceive 3D images.

According to Alfons Bielsa, "the American Optometric Association estimates that up to 56% of people between the ages of 18 and 38 could have problems with their binocular vision. A slight dizziness when starting to watch a 3D movie is normal but, if it persists, it is a very likely sign that there is a visual disorder."

A small disparity in the coordination between the two eyes or “a difference in visual acuity between one eye and the other due to an outdated prescription of the glasses, for example, is enough for the viewing of the 3D movie to not be optimal.”

What are the main signs of suspicion?

People who do not perceive 3D effects are precisely those who suffer from inconspicuous alterations in binocular vision. "If it is logical that a person with vision in only one eye cannot appreciate 3D effects, we could also assume that it is logical that a person with good visual acuity in both eyes can perceive them perfectly. But this is not necessarily the case."

If we have discomfort, a feeling of fatigue or we detect that the little ones make an expressionless face before the spectacular effects of 3D cinema, we can be sure that, indeed, there is a binocular alteration. When this happens, it is best to visit an optometrist to perform a complete optometric analysis, not only to detect if there is myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism, but also to check binocular vision.

The problem is usually solved in most cases with an update of the prescription, with visual therapy and/or prismatic lenses, accompanied by ergonomic and postural recommendations.