Subjective assessment of visual discomfort induced by binocular disparity and stimulus width in stereoscopic image

As the viewing safety issues in stereoscopic 3D services have been under the spotlight again, it has been more important to investigate determinants of visual discomfort in viewing stereoscopic images. In general, excessive binocular disparity has been regarded as one of key determinants of visual discomfort in stereoscopic viewing. However, in consideration of the complexity of the visual system, the degree of perceived visual discomfort could be also different depending on other characteristics of visual stimulus. Inspired by previous studies that have investigated the relation between stimulus width and binocular fusion limit, we assume that stimulus width can also affect the subjective sensation of visual discomfort in stereoscopic viewing. This paper investigates the relationship between stimulus width and visual comfort by measuring subjective visual discomfort. Experimental results showed that smaller stimulus width could induce more visual discomfort.