3D

Today as I woke up I noticed something that carried over from my pre-stroke days.

I don’t know if this is normal or unusual, but I see slightly different tones with one eye than with the other. The left eye sees a bluer tint, the right one is redder.

I first noticed it when I was in junior high school. I was playing basketball and some kids had been chosen to paint some sort of murals around the school yard. One was a big red and blue blob, or it looked like that, and I remarked that it had a cool effect of “popping out” to a friend, who said I was crazy. At that time the Magic Eye images were really popular and the effect was similar. The blue part seemed to “pop out” over the red (or vice versa, I don’t remember) but I was the only one that saw it.

I was intrigued so I started looking at it with only one eye open and that’s when I noticed the difference. It made sense, since red/blue was the combination in old 3D glasses and it matched the colors of the blobs. I kept on experimenting and the difference was very subtle but if I focused on it it was noticeable.

I don’t know if it’s always been like this, or whether for some reason it changed. But it’s been with me ever since. Which is the “real color”? Does it make sense to talk of a real color?

With certain low lights it’s easier to notice. Most of the time I’m not aware of it (the difference is really very small). And yes, when I encounter a red figure on a blue background (they must be very solid figures) they still “pop out”. I hadn’t thought about it in ages but yesterday I was lying in bed and the light was just right to notice it.

I guess it was sort of comforting to notice one thing at least about “me” is still here. I didn’t miss it or anything, but it’s a bit of continuity to hold on to that I rarely get.