Individual variation in 3D visual fatigue caused by stereoscopic images

The individual variation in the visual fatigue experienced after watching 3D movies was investigated via a subjective questionnaire method. The gender dependency, age-specific influences, and genetic relationships with the visual fatigue caused by stereoscopic images were specifically examined. The results reveal that about 36 percent of people experience considerable or heavy visual fatigue caused by stereoscopic images. In particular, about 7 percent of people are unable to continue watching a 3D movie due to severe visual fatigue. This proportion is sufficiently large so as to negatively influence 3D IT industries. We were also able to show that visual fatigue is largely influenced by hereditary factors but influenced very little by repeated long interval viewing. This means that the cause of visual fatigue is related to personal characteristics and that an individual´s visual fatigue may be characterized in index form.