Is it possible to have binocular vision and not have depth perception?

Question

I was making some autostereograms, and my friend was getting frustrated because he couldn't see the 3D images in them. We spent a while trying to get his eyes to unfocus so he could merge the different points together and focus to form the image. When we finally got his eyes to do that, he noted that he didn't see a 3D image. I pulled up some stereo pairs(two images taken from slightly different angles which, when merged together, give the illusion of depth). He told me he always hated those because he couldn't see the difference between the 3D image and the originals. He says that if he closes one eye, it looks the same as having both eyes open(no depth). He says the only reason he knows how far away I am from him is because he knows how big I am. Both of his eyes work individually, and when he looks through both eyes at once, he only sees one image, but is it possible that his brain doesn't interpret the images together to perceive depth? Feel free to answer as deeply as possible.

Answer 1

He seems to have a visual cortex problem. Has he ever seen an ophthalmologist?

Answer 2

There are several reasons why he may not have stereopsis (depth perception coming from fusing the slightly different image from each eye.) The most common reason why someone may fail to develop stereopsis but have otherwise normal vision in both eyes is strabismus - meaning the two eyes don't point in the same direction. If the brain can't fuse the images early in life due to strabismus, it will not develop stereopsis.

Many people have a very small strabsimus (maybe only a couple degrees of crossing, for example). They develop rough peripheral vision fusion/binocularity, but not fine central fusion. These people will develop only gross stereopsis, but not enough to do these binocularity tests you are talking about. This is called monofixation syndrome, and the amount of deviation is too small to see just by looking at the person. It often occurs as a result of childhood strabismus that has been surgically corrected, but can also develop if someone is born with a tiny strabismus. The brain of these people pays attention to only 1 eye at a time for the very center few degrees of vision, and to both eyes for all the rest. Monofixation syndrome is easy to test for in a ophthalmology office.

There are many visual cues to depth besides stereopsis - including seeing one object in front of another, lighting and shadows, image size and position, and parallex (ie closer images seem to move faster than further ones - think of driving along a highway and seeing light poles whizzing by with mountains in the background barely moving.) Stereopsis is a powerful cue to depth, but it functions only at 20 ft or less.

Answer 3

I reckon the direct answer is Yes.

There are 3 grades of depth perception; simultaneous perception, linear fusion, and 3D fusion. In Simultaneous perception, one will see 2 different images at the same time. In this instance, you are seeing with 2 eyes (binocular viewing) but do not have depth perception.

I will suggest your friend consult an optometrist or orthoptics to find out more about his vision problem. May affect his choice of career later

Answer 4

Since we actually see with our brains and not our eyes, it is possible to have reduced binocularity for a variety of reasons. Brain lesions, lack of cross over communication between the hemispheres or functional problems with the one or more of the eyes. Some people, myself included, just have poor binocular vision whcih is really annoying in 3D movies.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

My son had this sort of eyesight before he got glasses. One of his eyes had better vision than the other eye. His brain was accustomed to just paying attention to the input from one eye, even though he was using both eyes. He had the very same experiences as you have described.

When he got his glasses he came home from school and said he had had a very confusing, disorienting day. "Mom, everything was in 3-D!"

Answer 7

id say that if he he has binocular vision he has very bad depth perception