Diplopia, or double vision. I have lived so much of my life with double vision, because of my misaligned eyes. It is so normal for me to see two of something….and that is so weird! How can I even drive–how do I know which lane is the ‘real’ lane? I really don’t know the answer, but maybe it’s because I’m such a highly skilled professional strab.
Double vision is hard for the brain to deal with. This is why my parents were so concerned when I was a strabby baby, because the eye doctor warned that my crossed eyes meant I was seeing double, and if I’m seeing double, the brain will put an end to that.
My brain began ignoring the doubled data coming from one eye, suppressing the images coming from that eye, and ultimately for me, my left eye became amblyopic (basically blind, and unused by my brain.)
After 12 weeks of vision therapy, my left eye became un-amblyopic. After more weeks of vision therapy, it now it sees 20/20, but it is still misaligned and crossing inwards…so at distance, I see double vision.
If I’m looking at something father away than arms’ length, it doubles. The better I get at diverging my eyes, the less double vision I will have at distance.
At this point, I can tolerate the double vision. It is annoying sometimes, but it is also reassuring: it means both of my eyes are on and seeing.
the “real” lane…. ha
Only someone without stereovision would define like this.
How do I know what the “real” image is. I remember one of the milestones in my VT was when I realized that both were real because I was seeing both.
And in fact the 3rd image is again just another perception and somewhere between the two (the 3rd being the one our brain combines).