What Is Depth Perception and Why Is It Important?

We’ve all been there – at some point or another, we’ve grumbled about our depth perception after stubbing our toe while walking down the hall or bumping our head while getting into the car. Or, if you’ve ever tried on a friend’s glasses with the wrong prescription and realized you’ve lost the ability to judge distances appropriately, you might chalk that up to a lack of depth perception. The phrase certainly makes sense to us, but do we know what depth perception actually is?

To put it simply, depth perception is both the human eye’s ability to see in three dimensions and judge the distance of an object. To do this, our eyes need to work in sync to develop an informed idea about an object, both its distance from us and how big it is. This process is complicated because our two eyes must look at the object from different angles and then process that information to form a single image. This process is usually unconscious and instantaneous – we don’t usually realize it is happening. So, it’s often difficult to tell how and why depth perception is important.

Depth Perception in Technical Terms

Before we get into the importance of depth perception, let’s talk about it more technically. This part of vision is also known as stereopsis. People with normal, or binocular vision (vision created by two separate eyes working together to form a single image), can perceive the depth and distance of objects. People who are cross-eyed (strabismus) or have a lazy eye (amblyopia) often struggle with this part of their vision. Eye injuries can also cause sufferers to experience trouble with stereopsis while they are healing. Brain injuries can also impair depth perception.

So what happens if you suffer a debilitating injury in only one eye? Luckily, the human body is resilient. If you lose depth perception functionality in one eye, usually the other eye will learn to compensate for it over time, switching from binocular to monocular vision. This means your stereopsis functions well enough to perform day-to-day tasks safely. You may only face difficulties with higher-level skills, such as performing surgery or being an airline pilot. That’s why prospective doctors and pilots have to pass a depth perception test before they get too far into their careers. If medicine or aviation is your dream job, it’s especially important to start taking care of your vision from a young age.

Why Is Depth Perception Important?

Depth perception is important in everyday life in so many ways. It allows you to move through life without bumping into things and to understand the world three-dimensionally.

It also lets you determine how fast an object is coming towards you. This skill is important if you are crossing the street and cars are coming, or if you want to pass a slow car and have to go into the oncoming traffic lane to do so. This ability to judge distances and relative speed is a key aspect of depth perception in driving, making it one of the most important visual functions on the road.

It’s also important for playing sports – athletes from football players to hockey players need good stereopsis to be successful. This part of your vision is crucial for safety in every situation, from walking down the street to tossing a ball around at the park.

This poses the important question: How do you know if your depth perception isn’t functioning properly? If you have trouble judging how quickly an object is coming towards you, such as a car or even a ball that is being rolled to you, you may have poor depth perception. For a true diagnosis for this important field of vision, visit a qualified optician. They can administer a depth perception test with the Howard-Dolman apparatus. This can help narrow down the cause of your problem. Visiting an optometrist regularly is essential to preserving all fields of vision, so do not neglect to schedule your appointments.

How to Improve Depth Perception

So, what happens if you suffer from poor depth perception? Are you doomed to stub your toes for life? Luckily, this isn’t the case: research indicates that simple depth perception exercises can have a significant impact on improving this field of vision. Here are a couple you can easily try at home:

1. The Penny Drop: You will need a partner, a cup, and a penny for this exercise. Your partner should stand two feet in front of you and hold a penny between their index finger and thumb.  They will then hold the penny out in front of them over the cup that has been placed on the floor. They should move their hand randomly over the cup, sometimes slowly and other times quickly. Your job is to tell them when to drop the penny so that it lands in the cup. This tests your depth perception by assessing where the cup is in relation to the penny. It will also strengthen your depth perception if you work on it repeatedly.
2. Pen Light Tracking: This eye exercise is great if your depth perception issues are caused by one eye being weaker than the other. You will need a partner and a pen light or laser pointer for this activity. Start by covering the stronger eye, then have a friend take a small penlight and shine it on a darkened wall. Follow the light as it travels across the wall in random patterns. If you build this into your workout regimen, you’ll be able to naturally strengthen the relevant muscles.

Improving Your Vision Naturally

Besides eye exercises, the other easy and non-invasive way to naturally improve your vision is through proper diet and nutrition. Eyes require specific vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Among the most important are vitamins A, C and E, along with zinc and antioxidants. For a more comprehensive list, check out this list of 17 essential vitamins, minerals and herbs necessary for eye health.

Having poor depth perception might make you feel like you’re destined to a life of clumsiness, but luckily, you can turn that around. Make sure to visit your eye doctor at least once a year to help track changes in your vision. Additionally, adding eye exercises and vitamins into your routine can make a huge difference as you (and your vision) age. The more you make the necessary changes now, the better your eyes will be down the line. Future you will thank you!