Three-Dee Brain Freeze!

Binocular Dysphoria… sounds like something out of a bad 80′s Sci-Fi movie, but “BD” is actually a term associated with today’s 3D stereoscopic movies. It’s not in any James Cameron plot lines, but it could part of the viewing experience. The term refers to the result and reaction that some people encounter after watching a 3D film, specifically it’s the post-movie effect on the brain after the viewer has removed the glasses.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I have personally wondered as we enter the 3D “revolution” how and if prolonged consumption can effect the brain. It appears that although the mass creation of 3D televisions, movies and networks are churning out in droves, not that much research has been conducted on the health effects, which I find slightly odd. My personal thought on this is because the consumption of 3D content up to this point has always been in small quantities, therefore it didn’t really merit any health concerns or studies. But with the roll-out of 24 hour 3D networks and televisions combined with America’s current viewing habits… you start to scratch your head on: what could 6 hours a day, 365 days a year of 3D intake do to your melon?

It’s important for me to also state that I’m actually very much a fan of 3D content, along with our company being a producer of this type of visuals as well (shameless plug). We create 3D content for our clients and the entertainment value is awesome; but like anything in life, a balance might not be a bad thing. 3D content is mind blowing and truly a genre that is here to stay; but as the technology enters our homes in 24-hour cycles, we may want to ask as content creators… can the brain handle all that?

My non-medical answer is sure, why not? The human brain adapts to everything, and I’m sure the same things were said when television and computers came along; but I keep harping back to an article from Mark Pesce in which he speaks in detail on exactly how the brain is fighting it’s other senses in order for you to take in the 3D experience. Eventually the brain shuts these senses down until you remove the glasses and the movie is over. The question then arises: if you’re spending more time shutting the senses down and less using them, what could be the long term effects? And so we get back to our friend (or enemy, rather) “Binocular Dysphoria”, the short term cause of that feeling you have right after you take off the glasses, which might actually be the result of a little 2 hour battle your head just fought with itself while you were watching the Na’vi and humans go at it on Pandora.

I don’t think we’re in any immediate danger, nor in any need to launch a million studies at this point, so don’t crush your glasses just yet! I remember the days of sitting and watching the Saturday morning cartoons for hours, and now I think how cool those would’ve been in 3D… maybe just not everyday!

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