What is stereoscopic vision?

stereoscopic vision concerns the ability that people must see the same scene with both eyes in slightly different ways. This results in our ability to visually perceive depth and distance. Stereoscopic vision is not a synonym for perception of depth, but rather leads to it.

In humans and in animals, stereoscopic vision captures each eye a somewhat different image. This difference is known as binocular disparity or retinal disparity. The brain processes these two images in a way that allows us to slightly see around solid objects without having to move our heads. It does basically by pairing similarities in both pictures and after the differences in our perception of the scene. These differences are usually small, but can be reflected in a significantly different final result.

The visual benefits that people have due to stereoscopic vision are the most obvious compared to someone who does not have this ability, because the use of the eye. These individuals can ensureCertain adjustments to take into account the loss of depth perception, but is largely impossible to regain everything that has been lost, regardless of these adaptations. Stereoscopic vision is also related to our ability to manipulate small objects with hands. Similarly, some forest animals use their stereoscopic vision to accurately browse branches and other forest environments, where the exact perception of depth is a matter of survival.

In fact, there is speculation that our stereoscopic visions have also evolved as a means of survival, allowing us to see and assess the potential threats with greater accuracy and faster response times. In our time, this aspect of our vision is facilitated by many routine everyday activities. For example, the surgeon must have stereoscopic vision in order to accurately perform the procedure, and the driver must be able to tell how far his car is from other objects. Even such a routine task, such as climbing stairs, would be significantly disturbed without stereoscopic vision.

How useful is stereoscopic vision, it is not the only way to assess the distance. Our brains can also use the so -called fire distance of the object to estimate how far it is. At the same time, the brain assesses the distance based on how the lens must change in order to clearly focus on the object. This gives a general idea, but is not as accurate as stereoscopic vision.