Blur occurs naturally when the eye is focused at one distance and an object is presented at another distance. Computer-graphics engineers and vision scientists often wish to create display images that reproduce such depth-dependent blur, but their methods are incorrect for that purpose. They take into account the scene geometry, pupil size, and focal distances, but do not properly take into account the optical aberrations of the human eye. We developed a method that, by incorporating the viewer’s optics, yields displayed images that produce retinal images close to the ones that occur in natural viewing. We concentrated on the effects of defocus, chromatic aberration, astigmatism, and spherical aberration and evaluated their effectiveness by conducting experiments in which we attempted to drive the eye’s focusing response (accommodation) through the rendering of these aberrations. We found that accommodation is not driven at all by conventional rendering methods, but that it is driven surprisingly quickly and accurately by our method with defocus and chromatic aberration incorporated. We found some effect of astigmatism but none of spherical aberration. We discuss how the rendering approach can be used in vision science experiments and in the development of ophthalmic/optometric devices and augmented- and virtual-reality displays.

In near-eye display systems that support three-dimensional (3D) augmented and virtual reality, a central factor in determining the user experience is the size of the eyebox. The eyebox refers to a volume where the eye receives an acceptable view of the image with respect to a set of criteria and thresholds. The size and location of this volume are primarily driven by optical architecture choices in which designers trade-off a number of constraints, such as field of view, image quality, and product design. It is thus important to clearly quantify how design decisions affect the properties of the eyebox. Recent work has started evaluating the eyebox in 3D based purely on optical criteria. However, such analyses do not incorporate perceptual criteria that determine visual quality, which are particularly important for binocular 3D systems. To address this limitation, we introduce the framework of a perceptual eyebox. The perceptual eyebox is the volume where the eye(s) must be located for the user to experience a visual percept falling within a perceptually-defined criterion. We combine optical and perceptual data to characterize an example perceptual eyebox for display visibility in augmented reality. The key contributions in this paper include: comparing the perceptual eyebox for monocular and binocular display designs, modeling the effects of user eye separation, and examining the effects of eye rotation on the eyebox volume.

Computer-graphics engineers and vision scientists want to generate images that reproduce realistic depth-dependent blur. Current rendering algorithms take into account scene geometry, aperture size, and focal distance, and they produce photorealistic imagery as with a high-quality camera. But to create immersive experiences, rendering algorithms should aim instead for perceptual realism. In so doing, they should take into account the significant optical aberrations of the human eye. We developed a method that, by incorporating some of those aberrations, yields displayed images that produce retinal images much closer to the ones that occur in natural viewing. In particular, we create displayed images taking the eye’s chromatic aberration into account. This produces different chromatic effects in the retinal image for objects farther or nearer than current focus. We call the method ChromaBlur. We conducted two experiments that illustrate the benefits of ChromaBlur. One showed that accommodation (eye focusing) is driven quite effectively when ChromaBlur is used and that accommodation is not driven at all when conventional methods are used. The second showed that perceived depth and realism are greater with imagery created by ChromaBlur than in imagery created conventionally. ChromaBlur can be coupled with focus-adjustable lenses and gaze tracking to reproduce the natural relationship between accommodation and blur in HMDs and other immersive devices. It may thereby minimize the adverse effects of vergence-accommodation conflicts.