Fine stereopsis is important for fine-motor tasks such as threading a needle. It is typically measured in random-dot tests persons having coarse but no fine stereopsis are often unable to perform on random-dot tests, also due to visual crowding which is based on interaction effects from adjacent visual contours. It allows the individual to determine the depth of objects in the central visual area ( Panum's fusional area) and is therefore also called quantitative stereopsis. Fine stereopsis is mainly based on static differences.Coarse stereopsis is important for orientation in space while moving, for example when descending a flight of stairs. It provides the sense of being immersed in one's surroundings and is therefore sometimes also referred to as qualitative stereopsis. Coarse stereopsis (also called gross stereopsis) appears to be used to judge stereoscopic motion in the periphery.There are two distinct aspects to stereopsis: coarse stereopsis and fine stereopsis, and provide depth information of different degree of spatial and temporal precision. It has been suggested that the impression of 'real' separation in depth is linked to the precision with which depth is derived, and that a conscious awareness of this precision – perceived as an impression of interactability and realness – may help guide the planning of motor action.

Therefore, the term stereopsis (or stereoscopic depth) can also refer specifically to the unique impression of depth associated with binocular vision (colloquially referred to as seeing 'in 3D'). The perception of depth and three-dimensional structure is, however, possible with information visible from one eye alone, such as differences in object size and motion parallax (differences in the image of an object over time with observer movement), though the impression of depth in these cases is often not as vivid as that obtained from binocular disparities. The perception of depth in such cases is also referred to as 'stereoscopic depth'. While binocular disparities are naturally present when viewing a real three-dimensional scene with two eyes, they can also be simulated by artificially presenting two different images separately to each eye using a method called stereoscopy. Disparities are processed in the visual cortex of the brain to yield depth perception. These positional differences are referred to as 'horizontal disparities' or, more generally, ' binocular disparities'. Binocular vision happens because each eye receives a different image because they are in slightly different positions on one's head (left and right eyes). Stereopsis is not the only contributor to depth perception, but it is a major one. Stereopsis (from Ancient Greek στερεός ( stereós) 'solid', and ὄψις ( ópsis) 'appearance, sight') is the component of depth perception retrieved through binocular vision. For the genus of fungus, see Stereopsis (fungus).

Depth perception test