Whatever their other effects, large movie screens are first and foremost a means of recreation and absorbing visual information as opposed to a type of physical therapy. However, an amazing recent story suggests a possible beneficial side effect, as a college professor from Santa Cruz says a trip to a 3D film that occurred more than a year ago has improved his eyesight.
According to CNN, the professor in question, a man named Bruce Bridgeman, previously suffered from issues with his depth perception that stemmed from an inability to keep both eyes looking in the same direction at once. He described to the news source the way the world looked to him previously and how he is now able to fully understand it in wake of his transformation.
“You still see the world as kind of, in theory, three-dimensional, but the experience is more flat,” Bridgeman said. “I didn’t realize that until I began to see in proper stereo.”
While watching the family film “Hugo” last February, Bridgeman suddenly noticed that his once “flat” vision became far more vivid after putting the accompanying glasses on, and what’s more, the effects did not fade after the movie ended.
Naturally, the article points out that this is far from conclusive proof of the ability of these movies to change a person’s vision, and Bridgeman has not received fully optimal vision, but it does suggest a potential use for treatment of those without stereo eyesight.
Purveyors of events that revolve around outdoor movie screens can’t ensure this kind of miraculous event, but they can keep the visually impaired in mind, and pursue high-quality display systems that don’t result in unnecessary strain for the viewer.