The Wall Street Journal reports that Hollywood studios and TV manufacturers are banking on 3-D to be the next big thing in entertainment. But for people with certain eye problems, the idea of a 3-D movie isn’t much fun at all.

Between three million and nine million people in the U.S. have vision problems that would prevent them from watching 3-D movies and TV shows, even though they can see two-dimensional images, according to the American Optometric Association.

Normally, each eye views the world from a slightly different perspective, and when the brain puts the two images together, the person gets a sense of three dimensions. Movies using 3-D technology mimic this effect on a two-dimensional screen by using glasses to put one image in one eye and another, somewhat different, image in the other eye. But people who can’t coordinate their eyes well or focus appropriately can be unable to see the 3-D effects at all, said Dominick Maino, professor of pediatrics and binocular vision at the Illinois College of Optometry.

Even people with good vision could experience discomfort while watching because of the way 3-D technology works, said Lisa Park, a clinical assistant professor with the Department of Ophthamology at NYU’s Langone Medical Center. “You’re trying to force the eyes to look at two images and trying to trick the brain into thinking that the images are actually three-dimensional” — a situation that is bound to cause strain in some people, she said.

People with mild vision problems may feel discomfort or nausea and “will just close an eye through the whole movie” because of it, or they may experience dizziness or headaches but not associate them with their vision, Dr. Maino said.

Shannon Wyatt, a certified athletic trainer in Oak Park, Ill., said she felt nauseated after watching “Avatar” but chalked it up to low blood sugar until talking with Dr. Maino. “I saw the movie ‘Up,’ and I don’t think that bothered me a whole lot,” she said. “‘A Christmas Carol’ bothered me, but ‘Avatar’ was the worst.” She has since been undergoing therapy for what is known as a convergence disorder, in which the eyes are not able to turn toward each other adequately.

The American Optometric Association recommends that people see an eye doctor and be evaluated for binocular-vision dysfunction if they experience headaches, nausea or dizziness after watching 3-D programming.

Dr. Park said many people who are uncomfortable watching 3-D movies should avoid watching them, especially for long periods of time.

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Dear Abby wrote a recent column on this prevalent problem.

DEAR ABBY: Please help me get the word out about a common condition that severely affects children’s ability to succeed in school because it inhibits reading, spelling and concentration.

My daughter, who was obviously bright, tested at first-grade reading level in fifth grade. She had undergone all the school testing for learning disabilities, plus two days of testing at a respected university hospital. None of these tests or specialists revealed what could be wrong with her.

My child’s self-esteem suffered. Her confidence faltered; she began acting out in school. At home she was a great kid, until it came time for schoolwork. Then the battles began. She thought she was dumb. When studying, she could read for only a very short time. She often begged me to read things to her. When working on spelling and assigned to rewrite the words she missed five times, she often recopied them wrong. We thought she just wasn’t trying.

After much research on the Internet, I came across a disorder called “convergence insufficiency disorder.” This visual condition is the leading cause of eyestrain. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to have her tested at the Mayo Clinic, where her condition was confirmed, and she was successfully treated with vision therapy.

It was as though a miracle had occurred. After six months of treatment, my daughter is almost at her age-appropriate reading level. Her comprehension and retention have markedly increased, and her self-esteem and attitude about reading are much better.

Children with this condition will not benefit from tutoring, special education or extra help from teachers until the condition is diagnosed and treated. My child had 20/20 vision and still had this disorder. It’s not routinely checked with eye exams, and schools don’t test for it.

I suspect that many children out there are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and going untreated. The treatment for convergence insufficiency disorder is noninvasive, effective, and much of it can be done at home. Please help me get the word out so other families won’t have to go through what we experienced. — ANGIE W. IN MINNESOTA

By Harley Flego (Parent)

How could my daughter, a bright, articulate, 7-year old who could paint ‘Starry Night’ by Van Gogh, speak two languages and sing with perfect pitch not be able to read? I just didn’t understand.

Chelsea did well in preschool and kindergarten. There was no sign of anything wrong. The eye doctor and the pediatrician both said that she had ‘a small drifting lazy eye’, but not to worry because her ‘vision’ was good. Little did I know that what they called ‘vision’ was only ‘eye-sight’.

In 1st grade, Chelsea did well until after Christmas vacation, when her schoolwork seemed more intensive. It was painful to watch and hear her read. Chelsea became very frustrated and started to hate school. She didn’t want to get up in the morning.

She couldn’t comprehend anything she read. (Even sentences she had read just seconds before.) She traced lines with her finger to keep her place and put words together that were meant to be apart. She held her books very close to her eyes and was constantly fidgeting in her seat. She lacked confidence. She procrastinated with homework because it took 3 hours to do. It became a frustration nightmare for my husband and myself.

I wrote a note of concern to Chelsea’s teacher and asked to meet with her. We felt something was very wrong with Chelsea, but we couldn’t pinpoint what is it was. The teacher couldn’t either. Things weren’t clicking. Maybe she has ADD or ADHD? She exhibited some of the symptoms, but something about the ADD label just didn’t sit right with me.

My gut instincts kept me from physically getting her tested. I hated the fact that I might label my child and I refused to believe that my wonderful child had ADD. Still, I was extremely concerned that she was falling behind the rest of the class while I kept waiting for an answer. But, I held steadfast to my intuition and prayed for Divine intervention. It was the only thing I had to hold onto at that moment. I didn’t know how or where the answer would come from. I just knew in my heart that it would.

Amazingly enough, while Chelsea’s teacher was going through her files, she came across an article from 4 years ago. The article was entitled; 20/20 Vision May Not Be Good Enough. The article stressed the distinction between sight and vision. It also explained why some children who had perfect vision were having such trouble in school.

The article spoke about the Vision Development Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. A wonderful place where the doctors test the eyes to make sure they work together properly and can possibly rule out ADD and ADHD. It’s kind of a one-stop shop; they have eye doctors, psychologists, vision therapists, occupational therapists, and they sometimes make house calls for children with disabilities.

They work with people of all ages.

We scheduled an appointment immediately and had Chelsea tested at the Vision Development Center. My husband and I were devastated to learn the extent of Chelsea learning disabilities but at least we had an answer and a place to start. The doctor told us that Chelsea needed to be in a remedial program.

She was diagnosed with several vision problems, not ADD or ADHD, and these vision problems were leading to serious learning disabilities.

We explained to Chelsea that her eyes weren’t working together. We told her that her one eye wanted to do ballet and the other eye wanted to play soccer. She seemed to understand. We told her that the vision therapy program would take away her headaches and blurry vision and help her to read better. She had been so frustrated, that frankly, she seemed relieved and eager to start her sessions. The therapists used games and she wore funny glasses. They made it fun for her to retrain her eyes. We were both relieved to know we could fight this battle and win.

Three months have passed and my husband and I are astounded at Chelsea’s progress. She no longer has headaches, blurry vision or double vision when she reads. She is like a different child. She likes school and tells us she loves her new teacher in second grade.

The National PTA adopted a resolution in June of 1999 that school nurses should test for more than just 20/20 vision, yet rarely do they. I was a lucky parent. With the help of a wonderful and caring teacher, we found our answer.

Vision problems can manifest themselves as learning disabilities and sometimes have the same symptoms as ADHD. Children with the vision disorder, Convergence Insufficiency, an inability to focus at close range, may be misdiagnosed as having ADHD.

According to David B. Garnet, MD in an ‘April 2000’ article in Science Daily entitled: Ophthalmologists Discover Relationship Between Eye Condition and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; “We showed that children with the disorder, Convergence Insufficiency are three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children without the disorder. This is the first time such a relationship has been identified between these two disorders.” Not so; The Doctors at the Vision Development Center have known about this for years.

For more information, additional locations, or to make an appointment at the Vision Development Center to have your child evaluated, phone 610-783-1331.