Reducing visual discomfort of 3D stereoscopic displays with gaze-contingent depth-of-field

Andrew T. Duchowski , Donald H. House , Jordan Gestring , R.I. Wang , Krzysztof Krejtz , Izabela Krejtz , R. Mantiuk , Bartosz Bazyluk

Abstract

We report on an experiment testing gaze-contingent depth-of-field (DOF) for the reduction of visual discomfort when viewing stereoscopic displays. Subjective results are compelling, showing, we believe for the first time, that gaze-contingent depth-of-field significantly reduces visual discomfort. When individual stereoacuity is taken into account, objective measurements of gaze vergence corroborate previous reports, showing significant bias toward the zero depth plane, where error is smallest. As with earlier similar attempts, participants expressed a dislike toward gaze-contingent DOF. Although not statistically significant, this dislike is likely attributed to the eye tracker’s spatial inaccuracy as well as the DOF simulation’s noticeable temporal lag.