Small Miracles

It’s been some time since I’ve offered a posting on the topic of 3D and vision health, so please allow me to take a brief side journey back to the world of optometry and the importance of 3D in vision health. It is important to revisit this theme because the negative mythology associated with 3D is still so stubbornly apparent.

In fact, just this last week I read a movie review, written by a well-known critic, who repeated two stubborn myths:

1. "How uncomfortable cardboard 3D glasses are." (Folks, we don’t use those any more); and 
2. "I get headaches when viewing 3D" (My dear friend, read the research.  Such symptoms  serve as an indicator of an underlying vision problem, one which can be successfully addressed by your optometrist or vision therapist)

In combatting these unfortunate misconceptions, we need every good story we can find. And here are two good stories, worth your time:

Can a movie change your life?

Awoken from a 2D world.

These stories give you a reason to teach with the 3D tools you’ve come to love  or sell the 3D resources you sell. These stories help dispel the stubborn myth that 3D is somehow harmful. One story, one miracle at a time—we will see the change.

3D Vision Basics

The 'old' way

The 'new' way

If you are a bit unfamiliar with the role of 3D in supporting vision health and improved learning for children, you may want to watch this short video of James Sheedy, O.D., Ph.D., explaining how 3D viewing helps diagnose vision problems. It was filmed in Chicago during the American Optometric Association’s annual membership conference. It also addresses the importance of our natural 3D vision in successful student learning.

Also, watch the rough video below to see an example of how TrueVision uses 3D in eye surgery education to show clarity and depth:

3D Vision News

For the first time in history, the Opening General Session for Optometry’s Meeting® in Chicago in the last week of June featured an educational 3D experience led by a number of Hollywood dignitaries. The audience included attending doctors of optometry, students, paraoptometrics, and their families. (For perspective, there are over 60,000 optometrists in the United States alone.)

At the opening session, 3D experts Jim Chabin (president of the International 3D Society), Buzz Hayes (senior vice president and executive stereoscopic 3D producer for Sony 3D Technology Center at Sony Pictures Entertainment), Graham Clark (StereoD, LLC), and Bob Whitehill (stereoscopic supervisor at Pixar Animation Studios) demonstrated and explained the concepts of 3D as it pertains to the entertainment world. They showed 3D clips from films such as “The Lion King,” “Rise of the Guardians,” “Spiderman” and “Titanic”, among others. Many of these clips have never been seen outside their studios. 

Jim Chabin, president
of the International 3D Society

Jim Chabin, the president of the International 3D Society, stated “We ask your help in making sure stereo deficiencies are corrected.” Chabin continued, “We hope amblyopia rates can be reduced and decimated. We hope your practices can provide appropriate diagnoses. You are important partners in 3D; you are the first responders.”

Why was this event so important? Simply stated, the science behind stereoscopic 3D is an essential step to increased understanding of 3D and stereoscopic 3D (S3D) viewing as a safe and appropriate technology for all audiences.  As the popularity of 3D rises, so too will optometry’s responsibility to educate the public and assist the production studios and other 3D developments. As Jim Chabin suggests, optometrists are the nation’s 3D “first responders.” For that reason, this opening session was clearly a landmark educational opportunity.

The Opening General Session was followed by a number of educational sessions focused on the topic of 3D vision/diagnosis/treatment, along with a very comprehensive Saturday symposium on the 3D experience.  During the Saturday symposium, optometric professionals had the opportunity to take a journey through the entire process of 3D, plus experience the first-ever live, heads –up, 3D slit lamp exam demonstration (a diagnostic technology developed by TrueVision). Anthony Lopez, a 3rd year student of optometry was in the audience and was fortunate to be the “first ever optometry student” to experience a slit lamp exam using this new 3D technology. There is clearly a promising role for 3D in the world of optometric diagnosis and treatment. 

Vision Health News

Here's some timely 3D vision health news from around the country:

Have you seen your optometrist lately?

VPI Research Conference Held. The Vision Performance Institute of Pacific University launched a major symposium focused on 3D vision health. Their 6th Annual Research Conference, was held in Oregon early June, and was entirely focused on providing current vision health information to researchers, medical folks, manufacturers, developers and practitioners alike. I spoke at this event and will share some interesting findings in a future post.

American Optometric Association. The AOA 2012 Optometry’s Meeting was held in Chicago at the end of June, offering four major sessions on 3D vision. The last session was a full day mini-conference called “The 3D Experience: Your Opportunity.” The AOA is getting serious about reaching their own ranks, as well as incoming optometry students, as they launch a two-year effort to spread the positive and important public health news. And the good news is: the seminars were packed with pre-registrations! That's very good news.

COVD 2012. Visual therapists (COVD) are also lining up to provide key educational sessions focused on 3D viewing and the use of 3D in treatment therapies at their annual conference, being held in August in Texas. 

If you are missing the context of previous posts on the topic of 3D and vision health, here are the basics: viewing 3D—in theaters, on home television sets, on game consoles, and in our nation’s classrooms—appears to serve as one of the most reliable and effective vision screeners ever offered. It's apparently far more effective than the standard eye-chart test. You see, 3D projected images can now be used as a universal public health screening tool for vision problems that previously went undetected. See this post for information from the American Optometric Association about the benefits of 3D vision.

The Eyes Have It

On June 6^th and 7^th, the Vision Performance Institute is offering a seminal 3D educational experience that will be of interest to 3D educators, software developers, hardware manufacturers, and literati alike: their 6^th Annual Research Conference. 


This conference will feature topics such as

• vision ergonomics
• defining 3D content quality
• vision care
• S3D in the classroom
• S3D in public health
• and much more

At the conference, I will be moderating a panel, but will also offer an informative presentation on what is different about educational 3D content (eS3D), exactly how we use it in the classroom, what the research is suggesting to us, and key research questions your organization should examine in future case studies.

I strongly encourage the audience of this blog (and especially our strong international audience) to find a way to attend this conference. It will lend a competitive advantage to all of your hard work and efforts in this field. Below is the flyer. I hope to see you there.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 3d

Among the Best

This last week, the editors of eSchool News identified the “ten most significant educational stories” of 2011. Recent research on the emerging use of 3D in education made the cut. It's an interesting read. Check it out for yourself at:

2011 Top Stories

Comforting Stories

Dr. Dominick M. Maino

In our previous post, we discovered the touching story of Strabby’s journey toward 3D vision. A practicing optometrist and leading vision health researcher, Dr. Dominick M. Maino (OD, MEd, FAAO, FCOVD-A and Professor of Pediatrics/Binocular Vision at the Illinois College of Optometry/Illinois Eye Institute in Chicago, Il) suggests that 3D-related vision problems are common. He crafted a 2010 editorial estimating the number of adults and children in the U.S. affected by what he calls a “binocular vision pandemic”:

“A clinical trial to determine the prevalence of binocular vision dysfunction within the general population suggested the possibility of up to 56% or 60 million men, women and young adults with symptoms associated with a binocular vision (BV) dysfunction, 45 million (61%) with accommodative problems and 28 million (38%) demonstrating various vergence anomalies.” [Study conducted in Spain]

Dr. Maino’s blog is a remarkable read for those who desire to learn more.  He also recommends reading a compelling book by Susan Barry entitled: Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist’s Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions.

With increased societal exposure to 3D movies, 3D home television, 3D gaming, and 3D education, comforting stories of identification, treatment, and eventual transformation are rapidly spreading.  You see, 3D projected images can now be used as a universal public health screening tool for vision problems that previously went undetected. 

Educational Effort

Clearly, one of the biggest challenges we face in 3D is educating the public. For example, did you know that:

• 53% of parents surveyed* believe 3D viewing is harmful to a child's vision or eyes?
• Nintendo warns in their posted health and safety information that children below the age of six should not use their 3D technology?
• Neither of the above concerns have a foundation in fact, based on past and current research?

* Based on the American Optometric Association's (AOA) 2011 American Eye-Q ® survey

As the K-12 educational advisor and member of the writing committee for the report, I am compelled to say that See Well, Learn Well is not only a significant national health report, but also an extraordinary educational tool for students, parents, schools, universities, manufacturers, and software designers alike. Not only is the main report well designed and classroom ready—Appendix C in the report offers a full range of websites, blogs, and other resources to extend your learning about the benefits of 3D in teaching and vision health. 

See Well, Learn Well is also supported by a rich and growing array of behind-the-scenes online resources. Go to 3D Eye Health for great videos and supporting information. This support site offers highly interesting treatments of 3D benefits, the 3D’s of 3D Vision, and how you know when it’s time to see an eye doctor. The site also offers a growing FAQ section with such timely topics as disinfecting glasses and how long a child should watch 3D.

Learn as much as you can. We are all a part of this important educational effort.

A Hopeful Report

It is important to note that the AOA’s position paper, “See Well, Learn Well.” is considered a Public Health Report. What does that mean? It means that this report carries both consequence and a very hopeful message. It carries consequence in conveying the message that vision matters—in learning and in life. You see, if a child cannot see 3D in the natural world, that child will struggle in reading from an early age—and she will often struggle to see lessons from the back of the room. As she grows older, that same child will be less successful competing in athletics or safely driving a car. Her overall quality of life will narrow, as she will be less able to enjoy the natural world that surrounds her, which is, of course, a 3D world.  The report carries consequence by demonstrating that 3D carries profound implications for improving the nation’s vision health.

The report is also hopeful. It is hopeful because the report suggests that these new 3D technologies offer us a pathway that can lead to more successful educational experiences for our children.  It is auspicious because this technology portends earlier diagnosis of vision disorders. It is promising because it carries with it the remarkable potential for fundamentally eliminating entire generations of eye disorders, such as amblyopia (lazy eye), through early detection.

The message of “See Well, Learn Well” is straightforward. A child is diagnosed with a congenital eye disorder at age five—which is 5 or 6 years earlier than this would normally have been diagnosed. Then there are the stories of those who faced serious academic struggles in school until their natural 3D vision was addressed. The message is not lost on me either. I am legally blind in one eye—the result of childhood amblyopia—so I know what this means at a deeply personal level.

See Well, Learn Well

Late last week, after a year of eager anticipation, the American Optometric Association (AOA) released a new public health report “3D in the Classroom: See Well, Learn Well.” This national report recognizes a tremendous health benefit from viewing 3D and launches a two year national campaign to encourage the eye health of our nation’s youth. You can view or download the full report by clicking on the link above. 

A 3D Lagniappe

Question: “What 3D announcement made in March resulted in over half a billion web impressions in just two weeks?”

Answer: The 3D lagniappe.

“Lagniappe” is a Cajun term meaning “a little extra,” or a bonus gift. (For example, if you were to receive a free slice of scrumptious pecan pie after ordering the large-sized crawfish etouffee—that would be a lagniappe. Or if, at the end of a workshop, a presenter gave everyone in the room a practical new tip, immediately usable—that, too, would be a lagniappe.)

This metaphor is absolutely the best way to describe what is currently erupting in the 3D world. In a recent announcement, the American Optometry Association took a significant position on 3D viewing, and this announcement has since reverberated around the globe. The upshot is that viewing 3D is strongly encouraged by the AOA.  Viewing 3D—in theaters, on home television sets, on game consoles, and in our nation’s classrooms—appears to serve as one of the most reliable and effective vision screeners ever offered. It’s apparently far more effective than the standard eye-chart test.

Who could have imagined? It’s an unexpected bonus, a “little extra” gift for 3D-using schools. Although we are seeing very positive results in classrooms that are using 3D, now we have a 3D lagniappe—a tremendous health benefit is now associated with this impactful teaching tool.

Take a look for yourself by checking out these national announcements: 

3D Eye Health and 3D@Home

Special Notes:

1.  In mid-May, I plan to populate this blog with a rich series of posts about the learning results and successes we are now seeing in our pilot 3D classrooms.  The 3D lagniappe above is just your appetizer!

2.  Yes, I’ve been serving on the national AOA team that has been developing a position paper on this topic. Our work is expected to be released sometime in June—so please stay tuned!