Experience with 3D shows & monocular vision?

[simplybusy]

My daughter will be turning 3 years old when we go to WDW in a couple of weeks. She has no vision in her left eye which causes depth perception issues. I have no worries about getting around in a new place (for her) because she'll probably ride in the stroller most of the time. But - I'm wondering about the 3D shows like Mickey's Philharmagic, and some of the others... has anyone had experience with these shows and having depth perception issues? I know the 3D effect will be lost on her in general, but I'm wondering as a family (we have 3 older boys as well) if we go see these shows will it just give her headaches? She's speech/language delayed, and she's a pretty tough cookie - so I don't want her to be putting up with these shows if it's just hurting her head. She probably would just go with the flow. No sense in making her miserable though.

She also has a significant hearing loss in both ears (but wears hearing aids), and I'm wondering if that whole experience together might just be a little too over the top for her (not being able to "see" what her other senses are interpreting, I guess. I'm fine hanging out with her while the boys go see these shows and really in the grand scheme of things it's not *that* much time that she'd miss out on if need be, kwim?

It's totally not a big deal at all, I was just thinking that perhaps someone here might have experience with this, who is willing to share?!

Thank you!

 

[bookwormde]

My kids really like them so I think it is worth the try. I have viewed them with one eye closed for limited periods of time and did not find it bothersome at all (other than loosing much of the 3D effect.

We allway pick an row and sit all the way at the end just in case we need to leave so you may want to try that in case it does bohter her.

bookwormde

 

[Chuck S]

The 3-D effect is generated by polarizing the lens in the 3-D glasses, so each eye sees a slightly different image on the screen. Since she has no vision in one eye, she will lose the 3-D effect, it should be like watching a standard TV show or movie for her. She will need to wear the glasses, or she will see the double blurry image.

 

[Forevryoung]

My mom is legally blind in one eye and has a severe convergence problem. She has no/very limited depth perception. She says that the "new" 3-d technology makes it so that she can still enjoy the movie and even see some of the 3-d effects without getting a headache or having to close her eyes.

If you have more specific questions, I can ask her later.

 

[buffettgirl]

My daughter also has limited to no depth perception due to amblyopia as a baby (surgery done and corrected the crossing but never recovered the depth perception) and doesn't get a headache or have trouble while at disney. Normal crappy 3d things at home will absolutely make her miserable though but the technology used is so advanced that I bet your daughter wont' have any trouble.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I was going to add, although not as helpful as the pp's, that due to DD's autism, she won't wear the glasses, so she sees the fuzzy images when the 3d effects happen; but it doesn't cause a headache for her. I think your DD will be fine; and it's definitely worth seeing- for all of you; the audio on the shows is amazing as well, and just as important a part of the experience.

 

[simplybusy]

Perfect!

Thank you for the input. We'll for sure give it a try, and given that she'll have just turned 3 anyway - we'll probably sit near the end of an aisle so we have an escape route anyway. Your insight is definitely taking the worry away!!

 

[TillyMarigold]

I am an adult and have moderate to severe amblyopia which means I have severely reduced vision in my left eye and as far as I know, I can see 3-D movies perfectly (I mean, I certainly think I see them perfectly, but how would I know if I didn't?) as long as they used polarized light instead of the red/blue thing. This means I can see all the 3-D shows at WDW (used to work at HISTA, even) and also in movie theaters.

If your daughter has truly 100% monocular vision (no vision at all in the "bad" eye), wearing the glasses should mean she sees only 1 image instead of both, so it will look to her like a regular movie without the 3-D effects. When I worked at HISTA, we always advised people who were partially or completely blind in one eye to use the glasses anyway so that at least the picture would be clear.

ETA: with a 3-year-old I'd skip HISTA and It's Tough to be a Bug, anyway (unless she saw and loved the movie of the latter, but maybe even then). Muppets and Philharmagic will probably be ok, but the other 2 are loud and scary.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here are my thoughts about the 3D shows:
Mickey's Philharmagic at MK - the music is very good and the show would still be enjoyable even if you could not see the pictures. The pictures are also really good and would be worth seeing even without the music. This is the newest movie and has the best pictures and best 3D effects. It includes scenes from Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Lion King among others. If she is familiar with any of these movies, she will probably enjoy this. The story line is very simple - Donald Duck put on Mickey's magic hat, which flew off his head and keeps flying away from him. He spends the movie chasing the hat through scenes from different movies.

Honey I Shrunk the Audience at Epcot - My suggestion would be to skip this one with your DD. The story line would be confusing for most preschoolers and it includes some scary sequences like snakes and mice. Some of the special effects are scary - like mice crawling around.

Bug's Life at AK - I would skip this one too. The audience is shrunk to the size of bugs and gets an introduction to bugs. I have never been in this show without someone carrying a screaming preschooler out. Some of the scary things include a friendly bug that 'sprays' the audience with stink bug scent, a friendly bug that 'sprays' the audience with 'acid', Hopper (the 'evil bug' of the movie) bigger than most kid's dads, and angry bugs 'spraying' the audience with bug spray, swatting with fly swatters, spiders falling from the ceiling and wasps coming to 'sting' the audience.

Muppets 3D at the Studio - I would go to the one at MK first and go to this one if she does well with that. There is more 'talk' in this movie as the Muppet characters explain what they are doing/what's happening. The movie is cute and does have some musical numbers. If she is familiar with the Muppet characters, she will probably enjoy it more.

About the 3D effects; as was already described, the technology in the movies use polarized lenses. So, viewed thru one eye, there will still be a clear image. The movie at MK is the newest and does have the clearest movie. On a visit this past March, my oldest DD and her DH were with us. My son in law has MS and was recovering from an MS episode when we went to WDW. One of the effects of his episode was that he had lost most vision in one eye (don't worry, it's almost all back now). The reason I mention it is that he is someone who previously had 3D vision and temporarily did not. He saw all the movies except Honey I Shrunk the Audience and said none of them gave him a headache.
He said that Mickey's Philharmagic was really well done and did give a 3D appearance, even when viewed with one eye.
He is an artist (specifically, a comic book artist - and specifically in comics, his specialty is inking. The inker emphasizes lines and puts in shadows, highlights (and uses color, in color comics) to give an illusion of some things being farther back and some closer. He explained that they use the same techniques in the 3D movies to make things look 3D. You can even see that in 2D movies like the picture from Buzz Lightyear:

The polarized lenses intensify the effect, but the colors, shadows and art put into making the film in the first place are what gives the 3D 'look' in the first place.

 

[simplybusy]

Wow - great perspective! Thank you!!

I think we will skip the 'honey I shrunk the audience' and 'it's tough to be a bug' - based on content/fear alone. The others, we'll give it a try and see how things go.

Thanks again!

 

[dzemomona12]

Not only your kid, but also you should not to watch 3d movies with polarized glasses or shutter glasses. A lot of doctors said you can suffer from terrible headaches. They say it is not natural way of forcing your eye/brains to see 3d artificially.

 

[SueM in MN]

Not only your kid, but also you should not to watch 3d movies with polarized glasses or shutter glasses. A lot of doctors said you can suffer from terrible headaches. They say it is not natural way of forcing your eye/brains to see 3d artificially.

Have seen data that some people experienced headaches after watching the older 3D movies which used red and green lenses.

There are not studies that show any increase in headaches after watching 3D movies, although some people with muscle imbalances might have problems.
A short 3D movie (less than 15 minutes) is less likely to cause any problems than a long, feature length movie closer to 2 hours long.

 

[PatsMom]

I have monocular vision due to amblyopia. I look near with one eye and far with the other so I do have sight in both eyes. But because my parents just couldn't afford to have surgery done when I was young, they tell me I will never have binocular vision. I do have limited depth perception. I was always described as clumsy when I was growing up. But eventually I figured out I just didn't see things the way other people did and I really didn't know there was a curb there to trip over!

I enjoy the 3D movies although I am not sure I see them the way I should. With a young child, I would skip Bugs life for sure. Like Sue, I've never been when someone didn't carry a screaming pre-schooler out of the theater!

Midway Mania will still be fun for her but I don't score very well since I don't see the "depth" of things to ring, etc. But it is still a fun experience!