You can see around objects because of stereoscopic vision.
The human eyes and brain work together, in a fashion similar to speakers and a stereo. Each eye's retina picks up a pattern from light, which is then sent through the option nerve to the brain. The two images are married within the brain to create a three-dimensional view of the world. Commonly referred to as stereoscopic vision, people have ranging degrees of stereoscopic vision. Ophthalmologists and neuropsychologists often test stereoscopic vision; however this easy task can be completed right in the living room of your home.
Instructions
1. Sit in a comfortable chair in a well-lit room. Turn off the radio, television or any other distractions. Your eyes and brain work together to create stereoscopic vision; it will help to focus only on the task at hand. Put on your glasses or contact lenses if they are prescribed.
2. Hold a pencil or one finger approximately 12 inches in front of your nose at eye level. Look at a point on the wall past your finger or pencil. You should now see two pencils or fingers, rather than one, in front of your nose as you continue to look at the wall. This is what your eyes actually see--two images of every object you look at because you have two eyes. The images are married in the brain to construct a three-dimensional, or stereoscopic, image.
3. Focus again on your finger or pencil. The two images should converge into one. If they do not, try to again focus past your finger at a point on the wall and blink a few times to moisten your eyes. Diplopia, or double vision, is a normal part of stereoscopic vision. Convergence insufficiency is a condition that can be mistaken for learning disabilities, as the child or adult cannot focus his stereoscopic vision and track objects across a page.
4. Consider speaking with your doctor if you cannot either split the solitary object into two by looking past it, or if you have difficulty turning it back into one object when you focus on it. If problems with stereoscopic vision are caught early, such as within the first 10 years of life, the corrective measures may help school and learning problems from developing.
Tags: stereoscopic vision, your finger, brain work, brain work together, eyes brain, eyes brain work
