Focusing two scenes
Our eyes cannot focus on two scenes simultaneously. Why?
S. HARIHARAN
Morappur, Tamil Nadu
Vision is a brain phenomenon and not ocular (eye) phenomenon. The brain behaves like a film or a LCD screen in the camera. Even computer chips which can sense the vision can stimulate the brain to perceive vision. The basic mechanism of vision is binocular, which is the three dimensional construction of the scenes.
The depth, length, breath are all configured by the scenes received by both eyes through optic nerve projections. The fundamental contribution of the projection of scenes to the brain is by the so called camera, the eyes. The eye movements are so arranged that they move like yoked cart or the front wheel of a car. They cannot move independently, provided there is paralysis of the muscles moving the eye, which results in a condition called squint.
This learning of steriognotic vision is from childhood, due to excellent phenomena called ocular fixation of the brain. These impressions are fixed in the brain, in the region called occipital cortex, which is rear portion of the brain,(the last portion of the brain).
In people who have squint, the ocular fixations are poor and there will not be a complete processing of steriognotic vision. If there is acute squint due to paralysis of muscles there will be a double vision and there will be a double scene projection, which will confuse the brain, and cannot integrate the already formed templates of steriognotic vision. This is called diplopia.
Patients with acute diplopia will prefer to close one eye and see through the other eye, since it is so horrid to see two visions of two scenes at the same time. Added to that the false image will be dull, and true image will be bright, and handling of objects become difficult for them since exact location and depth of the objects and distance will not be appreciated.
So the ultimate reason for not observing two visions at a time is by the correct eye ball yoked movements to project the same scenes in three dimensions, sending them through the ocular nerve and tract projections to the brain cerebral occipital cortex.
Prof. Dr. V. NAGARAJAN
Professor Emeritus in Neurosciences
Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, Chennai
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Sci Tech
