Depth cue integration under stereopsis-occlusion conflicts in augmented reality: impacts on visual comfort and performance

Augmented Reality (AR) systems can violate natural occlusion cues, producing stereopsis-occlusion conflicts (STOC) when virtual content is rendered behind real world objects without occlusion. Such conflicts disrupt visual perception and may impair task performance and visual comfort. In a within-subject study, we manipulated the distance of a virtual target and its depth relative to an occluder. We examined whether the effects of STOC on visual performance and subjective comfort are related by measuring target discrimination time in a psychophysical task and assessing subjective visual comfort in a task designed to mimic real-world AR usage under comparable visual conditions. Our findings revealed that STOC impacts performance and comfort in similar ways, with reduced performance being correlated with decreased comfort. To further interpret these effects, we applied a Bayesian depth cue combination model to our data. The model suggests that underestimation of perceived distance of the target due to STOC could account for declines in both performance and comfort. Our results indicate that unmanaged occlusion has a substantial impact on visual perception in augmented reality. These findings also provide new insights into how the visual system processes conflicting depth cues.