ABSTRACT
Binocular display systems are nowadays found throughout our society: in outdoor settings, office settings, and in the entertainment industry as well. The military deploy head-mounted displays in aircraft cockpits and various types of vehicles. 3-D displays are being used to gain a better understanding of the 3-D layout of complicated structures (e.g., molecules, seismic data, and anatomical data), virtual environments, and real environments (e.g., telerobotics). However, binocular display systems are still not widely used. A main reason is the viewing discomfort caused by binocular imperfections: differences between the left- and right-eye images. In stereo vision systems, eyestrain usually occurs to some extent, caused by inevitable left-eye/right-eye mismatches. Eliminating eyestrain in head-mounted displays greatly drives up the cost of the optical system. Being able to predict the level of visual discomfort from the specification of binocular viewing systems greatly helps the design and selection process. This entry provides the basis for that.
