An Assessment of Stereovision Acquired in Adulthood

Abstract

Significance: Increasing evidence indicates that childhood binocular vision disorders that lead to stereodeficiency may be treated in adulthood. Reports of patients who gain stereopsis as adults indicate that this achievement provides for a qualitatively different and dramatically improved sense of space and depth.

Purpose: Increasing evidence suggests that stereopsis can be achieved in adult patients despite long-standing binocular disorders. We polled individuals who gained stereopsis as adults to ascertain their initial binocular disorders, the length of time they were stereodeficient, effective treatments, and the nature of their recovered stereovision.

Methods: A questionnaire was posted online and announced in a brief article in the journal Vision Development and Rehabilitation.

Results: Of the 63 responders, 56 (89%) reported strabismus and/or amblyopia, and 55 (87%) indicated that they had been stereodeficient for as long as they could remember. All but seven participants (89%) achieved stereovision through vision training or a combination of surgery and vision training, and many reported vivid visual changes.

Conclusions: Despite childhood binocular disorders, patients may be able to achieve stereopsis following interventions in adulthood. This achievement provides for a qualitatively different and dramatically improved sense of space and depth.