3D Cinema Glasses: An Unsolved Personal Experience

[NatanijelVasic]

TL;DR Summary

After having watched a 3D movie in the cinema with polarised glasses, I noticed a strange red pattern in my vision the next day.

Many years ago I went to the cinema to watch Avatar in 3D, and was provided with polarising 3D glasses at the venue. I can't remember if it was my first 3D film that involved polarising projection technology, but it was certainly one of my first. In any case, the 3D effect worked and I got through the film just fine.

The next morning, as i was waking up, I looked at the ceiling and noticed a weird, semi-transparent red pattern overlaid in my vision. It lasted for a few seconds and was mostly gone. I then looked at the corner of the room and saw it again for a few seconds (see attached image for an idea of how it looked). The weird thing was that the red pattern seemed to have a very regular structure, with perfectly straight lines forming a hexagon in the centre, and various other lines extending outwards. Also, the structure was centred in the middle of my vision.

I do not have an explanation for this, but I suspect it might be linked to the 3D glasses I wore for a few hours the day before. I am aware than in certain rare situations (or during eye exams), it is possible to see your own blood vessels overlaid in your vision, but these really look like squiggly lines and do not have such a regular structure. Any ideas as to what I might have perceived?

 

[berkeman]

Summary:: After having watched a 3D movie in the cinema with polarised glasses, I noticed a strange red pattern in my vision the next day.

Many years ago I went to the cinema

Since it was many years ago, have you mentioned it to your doctor at any point? Have you had any eye exams by an ophthalmologist or optometrist? Those medical professionals are probably the best folks to talk to to ask about this...

 

[BillTre]

Retinal blood vessels do not look like that. They form arbor (tree like branching patterns) that come together where the optic nerve enters the eye. This is the only way blood vessels can get into the eye.

 

[anorlunda]

I experience similar visual effects occasionally. Once, I sketched the pattern I saw with a hexagon in the center. I took the sketch to my doctor. He immediately said, "Migraine. You're just lucky that it did not progress to the headache phase."

It may have nothing to do with what you did the day before.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine#Aura_phase

Aura is a transient focal neurological phenomenon that occurs before or during the headache.[2] Aura appears gradually over a number of minutes (usually occurring over 5-60 minutes) and generally last less than 60 minutes.[35][36] Symptoms can be visual, sensory or motor in nature and many people experience more than one.[37] Visual effects occur most frequently: they occur in up to 99% of cases and in more than 50% of cases are not accompanied by sensory or motor effects.

Vision disturbances often consist of a scintillating scotoma (an area of partial alteration in the field of vision which flickers and may interfere with a person's ability to read or drive).[2] These typically start near the center of vision and then spread out to the sides with zigzagging lines which have been described as looking like fortifications or walls of a castle.[37] Usually the lines are in black and white but some people also see colored lines.

 

[anorlunda]

Here are a few pictures of migraine aura that I got from Wikipedia. By Kronos and Greensburger and Häggström, Mikael (2014). The variety is fascinating.

Spoiler: Seizure warning

Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scintillating_zigzag_scotoma.gif
This is an even more dramatic example, but it comes with a seizure warning, so I won't
post it on PF.

 

[NatanijelVasic]

Here are a few pictures of migraine aura that I got from Wikipedia. By Kronos and Greensburger and Häggström, Mikael (2014). The variety is fascinating.

View attachment 282557

Yes, I think you are right. It's most likely a migraine effect. It really is similar to the castle walls in the picture, just hexagonal. Interesting that you saw the hexagon too.

 

[Tom.G]

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https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/1620221861785-png.282555/
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Interesting. I was getting a similar effect with the "C" being black-and-white speckles that would rapidly appear/disappers and the interior of the "C" being a blind spot. The duration was always less than 10 minutes, often less than 4 minutes.

Never got a headache and the source was found to be a medication reaction.

 

[phyzguy]

It sounds like a visual migraine aura to me also. I get them all the time, usually (thankfully) without a corresponding headache. However, mine usually last on the order of 10 minutes, as @Tom.G said, not seconds as you said. It probably has nothing to do with the 3D glasses.

 

[BigDon]

I take sumatriptan to knock down migraine auras. Takes 40 minutes, like clockwork.

Ironically, sumatriptan gives me severe sinus headaches, but the trade off is well worth it.

 

[BigDon]

Wow!

Anulinda's post induced a severe reation! Jumping jellybeans!