Pacific University Ushers in New Wave in 3D Technology
By Jody McNannay
By successfully bringing together universities, corporations and professional organizations, Pacific University’s 3D Performance Eye Clinic in Beaverton exemplifies the Oregon Bio ethos—“Creating Opportunity through Community, Collaboration and Commercialization.” While serving the community’s eye-care needs remains a primary objective, the 3D Performance Eye Clinic is actively involved in research designed to inform, enhance and support the growth of the 3D market.
The Beaverton clinic is the most recent addition to the Vision Performance Institute (VPI), which resides on the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove. Founded and directed by Pacific U Professor and Director of Optometry Research James E. Sheedy, OD, PhD, VPI is an academically affiliated research organization with ties to several universities, corporations and professional organizations.
The first of its kind in the world, the 3D Performance Eye Clinic is equipped to diagnose and treat eye coordination problems that affect 3D vision, incorporating a movie-for-one 3D theater that measures binocular vision performance. In addition to helping individual patients with symptoms related to viewing 3D electronic displays, the clinic will provide information and feedback to manufacturers that develop and test new 3D products.
According to Dr. Sheedy, “The emergence of 3D into so many different parts of one’s life has spurred a sense of urgency in researching its effects on its users’ vision and balance. This virtual 3D environment provides many unique challenges to the visual system, including vision and vertigo-related symptoms. Doctors, researchers and corporations involved in creating products for the 3D environment are actively pursuing solutions for the myriad questions surrounding the interaction between the human visual system and the virtual 3D environment created by 3D displays. The clinic offers treatment, including prismatic and 3D polarized prescriptions, which allow patients with 3D difficulties to comfortably view 3D as they never could before.”
"… clinics like (Pacific University’s 3D Performance Eye Clinic) will give kids every chance to learn well because they can see well." -- Dr. Dori Carlson, American Optometric Association (AOA) president and a Pacific University alumna.
While helping 3D viewers improve their experience remains a major goal of the facility, the Center is creating several research opportunities that hold great promise for future generations. According to Dr. Dori Carlson, American Optometric Association (AOA) president and a Pacific University alumna, the 3D clinic holds promising potential to identify vision problems in children that will, in turn, lead to better learning outcomes far earlier than is currently possible. “What we do to help children now makes a huge difference in their lives later on," she said. "And clinics like this one will give kids every chance to learn well because they can see well."
As schools begin to move toward using 3D technology in the classroom, the relevance of diagnosing and treating any 3D-related challenges is evident. According to a recent Public Health Report produced by the AOA—“3D in the Classroom: See Well, Learn Well”—the use of 3D video or images in the classroom has several potential benefits. For one, the use of 3D video or images facilitates faster learning and greater retention of the information that is presented. Of equal, or perhaps even greater importance is the discovery that an individual’s ability to perceive depth in a 3D presentation is a highly sensitive assessment tool.
“The good news is that for the estimated one in four children who have underlying issues with overall vision, 3D viewing can unmask previously undiagnosed deficiencies and help identify and even treat these problems,” Carlson explains. “This is because 3D viewing requires that both eyes function in a coordinated manner as they converge, focus and track the 3D image.” Carlson is hopeful that 3D will prove itself as a diagnostic tool capable of replacing the standard eye chart, which has been the primary tool used by schools and doctors for more than 150 years.
These observations may be surprising to many consumers, especially those who follow AT&T’s recent decision to drop ESPN 3D, citing reports of nausea and dizziness. Yet Dr. Michael Duenas, the chief public health officer at the AOA, is quick to see the benefit of this discovery. “Without being aware of it, the 3D industry has actually created the world’s best vision screening.” When a person fails to enjoy a 3D movie, it may have nothing to do with the characters or the plot. Physical symptoms ranging from headache, dizziness or nausea to fidgeting or covering one eye can signal that the viewer may suffer from “binocular vision disorder,” which doesn’t allow “your eyes to capture images in the way your brain can put them together.”
"...the partnerships between academic, research and corporate supporters are evident in the creation of Pacific University's 3D Performance Eye Clinic."
Like many technologies, companies and researchers working in the 3D environment will continue to work toward correcting erroneous consumer perceptions and educating the general public on the benefits 3D offers. Fortunately, the partnerships between academic, research and corporate supporters are evident in the creation of Pacific University’s 3D Performance Eye Clinic.
Several companies played key roles in the collaborative effort needed to build this virtual 3D environment. THX provided proficiency, advice and recruitment of several technology partners who donated THX certified equipment. They also managed calibration of the theater room. Intel contributed toward the testing protocols that will be used in treating patients. Display systems and touchscreen monitors were supplied by LG and Planar Systems, and NIKE has loaned equipment for testing sports vision performance in athletes.
Jody McNannay ( jmcnannay@gmail.com ) is a freelance writer and photographer. Regardless of the medium, delivering a clear, compelling message that considers the audience as well as the content is the essential part of communication. Whether the final product is a strategic plan, news release, marketing collateral or technical publication, Jody has worked to maximize the impact of the message. Previous clients include Oregon Episcopal School, the American Hanoverian Society and a variety of software organizations.