Best of Future-Talk 3D

It’s been a thriving year for the Future-Talk 3D blog, which has grown to nearly 2000 web impressions per month. As the year comes to an end, it is fitting to reflect on the most popular topical posts of 2011.  The top ten topical posts are presented below, in order of web impressions received:

1.      3D Myth Busting (most web impressions received overall)

2.      Why 3D Works

3.      BVS3D Case Study

4.      3D Myth Busting II

5.      What is eS3D?

6.      3D Content Update

7.      Research in Europe

8.      Past Research

9.      A 3D Salute

10.  What Really Matters

Actually, it’s quite thought provoking to speculate as to why these particular topics were “top of mind” for the diverse international audience that regularly follows this blog. Please let us know your hypothesis or thinking by posting a short comment.

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. 

I Can See 3D!

Do you have any problems at all with viewing 3D?
If so, see your optometrist as soon as you can.

We live in a 3D world. That is part of the reason why young and old are naturally attracted to 3D in entertainment and education. But what is it like for a person who cannot see 3D in the natural world, like Johnny Depp, who we discussed in the previous post? More importantly, what is it like to be 3D blind and suddenly see in 3D? Such is the tale found in a most touching and eloquent blog, a journey I encourage everyone to read:

http://strabby.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/my-first-3d-peeks/

I post this link here in Future-Talk 3D so that we can all appreciate the importance of 3D vision health; so we can gain a sense of educational urgency for children, in order that years of struggling in school can be avoided; and so that we recognize the emerging role of 3D technology in both identifying and treating vision challenges.