No 3d vision?

[handmademitlove]

A visit to the optician has revealed that my DD10 has no 3d vision. The optician didn't really comment on it but I wonder what this means and if it is something we should follow up?

I presume he means depth perception? That would affect things like not seeing a kerb, catching a ball etc. Have you noticed anything yourself.
Yes, I would follow up. Either go and see another optician that explains exactly what it would mean or see your GP who can decide if you need an appointment at the hospital’s eye department.

They did a test where she had to pick out items that were 3d while wearing glasses? My DS saw the wings of a fly sticking out etc but DD said nothing looked different and the wings weren't sticking out? Optician didn't say anything about it but there was clearly a difference in what they were seeing.

It’s really weird if the optician didn’t comment. Are you going back? If not go elsewhere. How old is your child?

Stereoblindness (lack of 3D vision) means that for whatever reason the brain isn’t using both eyes together properly. It could be one eye is far less powerful and the brain has learnt to ignore the image, or there’s a ‘lazy eye’, or stigmatism. It can be corrected in younger kids with vision therapy, basically glasses. Sometimes kids need patching.

Do you think the optician wasn’t picking up on it for some reason? It could be simply a bad test from what you describe, so before you get worried I’d get a second opinion. This happened to a friend, where the optician simply communicated very poorly

I’d go elsewhere to set your mind at rest. Ask on your local Facebook for opticians people recommend

She is 10. With a family history of 'lazy eye' she was assessed at the hospital when she was little and all was well. I think I will phone them and ask as they are usually very good but we saw someone different this time. She does have poor spacial awareness but her OT attributed that to other issues. The OT did suggest getting her checked for visual processing problems - could this be related? Sorry for all the questions and thank you for your help!

I have this. Did DD have a squint when younger?

My brain never learned to process the signals from both eyes together into a single image, so I just see out of my dominant eye. It doesn't stop me from doing anything, there are other ways to reckon distance (relative size/perspective). Probably means she can't be a fighter pilot, and will never really appreciate 3d movies, but probably not a big deal otherwise.

Visual processing is a different thing. It will be to do with her squint. Her eyes and the signal to her brain are not working together. This sounds dramatic but in reality lots of people have the same thing. Usually a lazy eye can be strengthened before the age of approx 7, with patches, surgery etc. I would go back and ask, she may only have a small discrepancy in 3 d vision. It will seem completely normal to her and is relatively minor.

No squint according to the hospital at age 2 / 3. She is now 10. I have called the optician to ask for more details. Just need to know if I need to do anything!

She will have some depth perception even if it doesn’t register on the test as there is peripheral depth perception as well as central. Even people with one eye can judge depth to a certain degree when they’ve got used to their disability.

Depth perception develops a lot sooner than we first though (within the first year or so of life). It can be disrupted by several things such as a squint, or a micro squint (which is very difficult to see), one eye bring a different prescription to the other, a droopy eyelid in one eye or a small cataracts that they’re born with.

It does need investigating though if it’s a new sign or can’t be attributed to a certain eye condition. I’d be doing a visual field test.