Time series evaluation of visual fatigue and depth sensation using a stereoscopic display

Abstract Conventional stereoscopic (3D) displays using binocular parallax generate unnatural conflicts between convergence and accommodation. These conflicts can affect the observer's ability to fuse binocular images and may cause visual fatigue. In this study, time series changes in visual fatigue and depth sensation when viewing stereoscopic images with changing parallax were examined. In particular, the physiological changes, including the subjective symptoms of visual fatigue, when viewing five parallax conditions, were examined. Then a comparative analysis of the 2D and 3D conditions was performed based on the visual function. To obtain data regarding the visual function, the time series changes in the spontaneous‐blinking rate before and during the viewing of 3D images were measured. The time series change results suggest that 2D and 3D images cause significantly different types of visual fatigue over the range of binocular disparity.