Uc Science Today

If you had to guess who has the sharpest vision, you may think of a surgeon or a dentist, but probably not a dressmaker. But according to University of California, Berkeley neuroscientist Adrian Chopin, it’s dressmakers who have the best stereoscopic vision. “In general we see in 3D. In our mind the environment is in 3D. However, it does not necessarily feel in 3D. So that’s feeling of depth that we call stereopsis is very strongly coming from stereoscopic vision, which means a difference of viewpoint between these two eyes.” But how do we use it in our daily lives? “It is very important in grasping objects, that’s because you need high precision when you put your finger on an object, not to crash it or not to miss it. We also need it for driving, especially when you are at night. Chopin and his team are working on developing tools, like computer games, that could help people with sight disorders to improve their stereoscopic vision skills.