EYE AND VISION RESEARCH DEVELOPMENTS

BINOCULAR VISION:

DEVELOPMENT, DEPTH

PERCEPTION AND DISORDERS

EYE AND VISION RESEARCH

DEVELOPMENTS

Eye Cancer Research Progress

Edwin B. Bospene (Editor)

2008. ISBN: 978-1-60456-045-9

Non-Age Related Macular Degeneration

Enzo B. Mercier

2008. ISBN: 978-1-60456-305-4

Optic Nerve Disease Research Perspectives

Benjamin D. Lewis and Charlie James Davies (Editors)

2008. ISBN: 978-1-60456-490-7

2008. ISBN: 978-1-60741-938-9 (E-book)

New Topics in Eye Research

Lauri Korhonen and Elias Laine (Editors)

2009. ISBN: 978-1-60456-510-2

Eye Infections, Blindness and Myopia

Jeffrey Higgins and Dominique Truax (Editors)

2009. ISBN: 978-1-60692-630-7

Eye Research Developments:

Glaucoma, Corneal Transplantation, and Bacterial Eye Infections

Alan N. Westerhouse (Editor)

2009. ISBN: 978-1-60741-1772

Retinal Degeneration: Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

Robert B. Catlin (Editor)

2009. ISBN: 978-1-60741-007-2

2009. ISBN: 978-1-60876-442-6 (E-book)

Binocular Vision: Development, Depth Perception and Disorders

Jacques McCoun and Lucien Reeves (Editors)

2010. ISBN: 978-1-60876-547-8

Understanding Corneal Biomechanics through Experimental Assessment and Numerical Simulation

Ahmed Elsheikh

2010. ISBN: 978-1-60876-694-9

Retinitis Pigmentosa: Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

Michaël Baert and Cédric Peeters (Editors)

2010. ISBN: 978-1-60876-884-4

Color: Ontological Status and Epistemic Role

Anna Storozhuk

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-201-9

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-608-6 (E-book)

Coherent Effects in Primary Visual Perception

V.D. Svet and A.M. Khazen

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-143-2

2010. ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-61668-496-9 (E-book)

Conjunctivitis: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

Anna R. Sallinger

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-321-4

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-443-3 (E-book)

Novel Drug Delivery Approaches in Dry Eye Syndrome Therapy

Slavomira Doktorovová, Eliana B. Souto, Joana R. Araújo,

Maria A. Egea and Marisa L. Garcia

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-768-7

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61728-449-6 (E-book)

Pharmacological Treatment of Ocular Inflammatory Diseases

Tais Gratieri, Renata F. V. Lopez, Elisabet Gonzalez-Mira,

Maria A. Egea and Marisa L. Garcia

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-772-4

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61728-470-0 (E-book)

Cataracts: Causes, Symptoms, and Surgery

Camila M. Hernandez (Editor)

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61668-955-1

2010. ISBN: 978-1-61728-312-3 (E-book)

EYE AND VISION RESEARCH DEVELOPMENTS

BINOCULAR VISION:

DEVELOPMENT, DEPTH

PERCEPTION AND DISORDERS

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JACQUES MCCOUN

AND

LUCIEN REEVES

EDITORS

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

New York

Copyright © 2010 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Binocular vision : development, depth perception, and disorders / editors, Jacques McCoun and Lucien Reeves.

p. ; cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61761-957-1 (eBook)

1. Binocular vision. 2. Binocular vision disorders. 3. Computer vision. 4. Depth perception. I. McCoun, Jacques. II. Reeves, Lucien.

[DNLM: 1. Vision, Binocular--physiology. 2. Dominance, Ocular--physiology. 3. Pattern Recognition, Visual--physiology. 4. Vision Disparity--physiology. WW 400 B6145 2009]

QP487.B56 2009 612.8'4--dc22

2009038663

Published by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. New York

CONTENTS

Ken Asakawa and Hitoshi Ishikawa

PREFACE

"Binocular vision" literally means vision with two eyes, and refers to the special attributes of vision with both eyes open, rather than one eye only. Our perception under binocular conditions represents a highly complex coordination of motor and sensory processes and is markedly different from and more sophisticated than vision with one eye alone. This book reviews our ability to use both eyes, while also providing basic information on the development of binocular vision and on the clinical disorders that interfere with our depth perception, such as strabismus and amblyopia. This book also describes the development of eye movement control, particularly those that are important for reading. In addition, the authors of this book review the phenomenon of ocular dominance (OD) in the light of the types of test used to identify it; question whether inter-test agreement of OD in an individual might be anticipated, and address some practical implications of OD as demonstrated in healthy eyes and in cases where there is compromised binocular function. Other chapters in this book disclose new methodologies in congenital nystagmus eye movements analysis and evaluate heterophoria as an important element of assessment of binocular vision disorders.

Three dimensional model reconstruction from image sequences has been extensively used in recent years. The most popular method is known as structure from motion, which employs feature and dense points matching to compute the motion and depth. Chapter 1 is intended to present an overview of new trends in three dimensional model reconstruction using multiple views of object, which has been developed by the authors. Robust curve matching method in stereo cameras for extraction of unique space curves is explained. Unique space curves are constructed from plane curves in stereo images based on curvature and torsion consistency. The shortcoming of outliers in motion estimation is extremely

implications of OD as demonstrated in healthy eyes and in cases where there is compromised binocular function.

The authors present a review of their computer vision algorithms and binocular imaging for shape detection optical metrology. The study of Chapter 3 involves: laser metrology, binocular image processing, neural networks, and computer vision parameters. In this technique, the object shape is recovered by means of laser scanning and binocular imaging. The binocular imaging avoids occlusions, which appear due to the variation to the object surface. A Bezier approximation network computes the object surface based on the behavior of the laser line. By means of this network, the measurements of the binocular geometry are avoided. The parameters of the binocular imaging are computed based on the Bezier approximation network. Thus, the binocular images of the laser line are processed by the network to compute the object topography. By applying Bezier approximation networks, the performance of the binocular imaging and the accuracy are improved. It is because the errors of the measurement are not added to the computational procedure, which performs the shape reconstruction. This procedure represents a contribution for the stripe projection methods and the binocular imaging. To describe the accuracy a mean square error is calculated. This technique is tested with real objects and its experimental results are presented. Also, the time processing is described.

Along with other diseases that can affect binocular vision, reducing the visual quality of a subject, Congenital Nystagmus (CN) is of peculiar interest. CN is an ocular-motor disorder characterized by involuntary, conjugated ocular oscillations and, while identified more than forty years ago, its pathogenesis is still under investigation. This kind of nystagmus is termed congenital (or infantile) since it could be present at birth or it can arise in the first months of life. The majority of CN patients show a considerable decrease of their visual acuity: image fixation on the retina is disturbed by nystagmus continuous oscillations, mainly horizontal. However, the image of a given target can still be stable during short periods in which eye velocity slows down while the target image is placed onto the fovea (called foveation intervals). To quantify the extent of nystagmus, eye movement recordings are routinely employed, allowing physicians to extract and analyze nystagmus main features such as waveform shape, amplitude and frequency. Use

of eye movement recording, opportunely processed, allows computing “estimated

visual acuity” predictors, which are analytical functions that estimate expected visual acuity using signal features such as foveation time and foveation position variability. Hence, it is fundamental to develop robust and accurate methods to measure both those parameters in order to obtain reliable values from the predictors. In this chapter the current methods to record eye movements in

the development of binocular vision and on the clinical disorders that interfere with our depth perception, such as strabismus and amblyopia.

The evaluation of heterophoria is an important element of assessment of binocular vision disorders. Chapter 7 examined the interexaminer repeatability of two heterophoria measurement methods in a gaze position with no vertical deviation from straightforward position and in 20 degrees downgaze. The two procedures were von Graefe prism dissociation method (VG) and the tangent scale method commonly known as the modified Thorington test (MT). Serving as subjects were 47 young adults, 22 to 35 years of age. Testing distance was 40 cm. A coefficient of repeatability was calculated by multiplying the standard deviation of the difference between the results from two examiners by 1.96. Coefficients of repeatability in prism diopter units were: VG, straightforward, 6.6; VG, downgaze, 6.2; MT, straightforward, 2.8; MT, downgaze, 3.6. The results show a better repeatability for the tangent scale procedure than for the von Graefe prism dissociation method.

As explained in Chapter 8, preferential perception of emotional cues may help an individual to respond quickly and effectively to relevant events. Existing data supports this hypothesis by demonstrating that emotional cues are more quickly detected among neutral distractors. Little data is available to demonstrate that emotional stimuli are also preferentially processed during prolonged viewing. The preferential perception of visual emotional cues is apparent under conditions where different cues compete for perceptual dominance. When two incompatible pictures are presented to one eye each, this results in a perceptual alternation between the pictures, such that only one picture is visible while the other is suppressed. This so called binocular rivalry involves different stages of early visual processing and is thought to be relatively independent from intentional control. Several studies from our laboratory showed that emotional stimuli predominate over neutral stimuli in binocular rivalry. These findings can be interpreted as evidence for preferential processing of emotional cues within the visual system, which extends beyond initial attentional capture. Taken together, data from this paradigm demonstrates that emotional pictures are perceived more intensively.

Chapter 9 describes a stereo-based algorithm that provides candidate image windows to a latter 2D classification stage in an on-board pedestrian detection system. The proposed algorithm, which consists of three stages, is based on the use of both stereo imaging and scene prior knowledge (i.e., pedestrians are on the ground) to reduce the candidate searching space. First, a successful road surface fitting algorithm provides estimates on the relative ground-camera pose. This stage directs the search toward the road area thus avoiding irrelevant regions like