Imagine a world where everything is two dimensional. More precisely, imagine a world where everything you see is limited by an inability or limited ability to judge depth in the ‘normal’ way through the use of both eyes to produce a 3D image. In such a world you would make up your own ways of establishing distance and depth. For example, how far a car is away and a safe distance from it to cross the road would be done on the basis of the size of the car compared to how you remember the size of car close up. All very confusing and disturbing as a child. Then there are people assuming you are like them and can judge things visually in the normal way. They wonder at your behavoiural adaptations made to try to compensate. I say, ‘try’ to compensate because there is always the residual knowledge that your are somehow making changes that others don’t need to make and you have nothing to measure them against. There is no textbook, no adviser or counselor to go to. No one to judge it all but yourself.
Anyway, you do all of this naturally as it were. Then someone comes along and tells you you’ve got a squint (just like 5% of the population). they say it needs treatment. this person is an optician and what they are actually doing is making a cosmetic adjustment using eye patches, muscle training etc. Although you may end up with some depth perception, the underlying physical ‘defect’ remains. Yet they tell you, you have made improvements. You are better.
Confused? I would think the child would be utterly confused. As if this was not enough, more is to follow, that just adds to the confusion and alienation by the outside world. This is one of the last unrecognised, undocumented and untreated diabilities. Help to make this change.
Finally, later in life a person may rely more heavily on specifically produced 2D images as they stand out from the rest of the 2D universe some people must live in. So, if the world is two dimensional visually things like posters and digital TV images will stand out as specially entertaining and significant. The person will learn to read manufactured 2d images specially well and may even rely on them. They may consider themselves special because of this and moderate their behaviour to balance it with 2D messages.
My tentative conclusion is that the type of behaviour displayed may be consistent with and may even lead to a diagnosis of schizophrenia and all that entails for the patient. This occur even if the patient is NOT schizophrenic. It follows that such a person will even be regarded as an incurable schizophrenic as the source of their trouble is a physical eyesight speciality and not mental illness….If this is true then WOW … what a cruel world we live in. Let me know what you think.
duncanfranklinwallace 