Repeated vergence adaptation causes the decline of visual functions in watching stereoscopic television

To evaluate visual fatigue when viewing stereoscopic TV, a technology expected to become the broadcasting display system of the future. Wide public acceptance of stereoscopic TV awaits resolution of many issues, including visual fatigue on viewing TV images. Visual fatigue was induced using a visual function simulator, consisting of prism and lens optical systems, while viewing stereoscopic TV. We assessed subject visual fatigue through subjective reports of symptoms and by the changes in visual functions. These functions included: viewer B [Js fusional break point, recovery point, accommodation step response, and visual evoked cortical potentials (VECP)]. Significant changes of some visual functions were found after watching simulated stereoscopic TV when the vergence load was heavy or when it changed over time; relative vergence limits decreased and the latency of VECP increased after watching, reflecting visual fatigue. After subjects rested, relative vergence limits recovered to pre-viewing levels. Our findings lead us to conclude that, aside from excessive horizontal binocular parallax, discontinuous changes in parallax is also a major factor that contributes to visual fatigue in the viewing of stereoscopic images. It also causes a decreased range of relative vergence, accommodation response, and a delay in the P100 latency of VECP.