By combining the information received in each eye, binocular summation can improve visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, flicker perception, and brightness perception.
Binocular summation decreases with age and when large interocular differences are present.
Several different models have been proposed to explain how the inputs from each eye are combined.
The renowned physicist Erwin Schrödinger, known for his contributions to quantum theory, had a fascination for psychology and he explored topics related to color perception.
Schrödinger (1926)[4] put forth an equation for binocular brightness and contrast combination where each monocular input is weighted by the ratio of the signal strength from that eye to the sum of the signal from both eyes.
This equation can be thought of as the sum of the lengths of two vectors.
It is still uncertain exactly how this process is performed by the brain and remains an active area of research.
The mechanism can be explained by some combination of probability summation, neural summation, and effects due to binocular-monocular differences in pupil size, accommodation, fixation, and rivalry.
Sensory fusion is the psychological process of the visual system that creates a single image perceived by the brain.