A computational model of binocular depth perception

Abstract

We point out that the horizontal disparities between a pair of retinal images are inadequate for computing the three-dimensional structure of a scene unless supplemented by independent information about the distance and direction of the fixation point. We suggest that this supplementary information is derived not from non-visual sources, but from the vertical disparities of a few non-meridional image points. This hypothesis is shown to account quantitatively for Ogle's induced effect--the marked distortion of a scene by a vertically magnifying lens placed in front of one eye.