Effects of contrast and ambient illumination on visual discomfort of autostereoscopic display

The conflict between vergence and accommodation is the main perceptual factors contributing to visual discomfort when viewing autostereoscopic display. The key factors relevant to the accommodation and vergence are the ambient illumination and the contrast. The current study was a 2 × 3 × 3 mixed design comparing VFSI and VIMS symptoms between 2D and 3D video clips with three contrast levels under three ambient illumination levels on the autostereoscopic display. Twenty participants were required to evaluate the degree of discomfort by filing out questionnaires after watching those video clips. According to the result analysis, the 3D viewing participants reported more severe symptoms compared to 2D. The moderate contrast conditions were found to be the optimum for viewing comfort. The difference between VFSI and VIMS symptoms become larger with increasing contrast. The results also suggested the optimum 3D illumination condition should not be too high to effectively relieve visual discomfort. VIMS symptoms were more sensitive to the changes in ambient illumination than VFSI. Moreover, significant interaction between contrast and ambient illumination was found. Participants felt the most comfortable in the combination effect of moderate level of contrast and the high level of ambient illumination.