From “Avatar” to “Alice in Wonderland,” 3-D films are taking moviegoers by storm, but the 3-D excitement has turned into an alarming wakeup call for some viewers.

“Many people are first realizing they have a vision disorder when they go to ‘Avatar’ and can’t see the 3-D effects or they get a headache or feel dizzy. For some, the movie has actually become a kind of screening for vision problems that can truly interfere with people’s quality of life outside the movie theater,” said Dr. Craig W. Hoeft of the California Optometric Association.

Research shows that more than 50 percent of the population will have difficulty experiencing 3-D movies due to poor binocular vision skills. Up to 5 percent of the population will not be able to experience 3-D at all due to either strabismus (crossed eyes), which is the inability to align both eyes simultaneously, or amblyopia (lazy eye), which is the loss or lack of development of central vision in one eye. For these people, the images that others see jumping off the screen will simply look flat.

The real problem is that these vision problems affect more than just the ability to see 3-D movies. Vision difficulties can impair hand-eye coordination, depth perception and reading ability as well as lead to headaches, blurred vision, balance disturbances and nausea.

“People who cannot see the 3-D effects or notice symptoms such as headaches, nausea or dizziness in the theater in either themselves or their children should schedule an appointment with their optometrist so they can diagnose vision problems,” said Hoeft. “The good news is that conditions such as strabismus and amblyopia are treatable, and with proper treatment, people will be able to enjoy things like 3-D movies, reading and playing sports without any problems.”

To find an optometrist, click on the advance search feature on the “Find an EyeDoc” link at www.eyehelp.org.

This article provided by the California Optometric Asso ciation.