Visual field

The visual field is "that portion of space in which objects are visible at the same moment during steady fixation of the gaze in one direction";[1] in ophthalmology and neurology the emphasis is mostly on the structure inside the visual field and it is then considered “the field of functional capacity obtained and recorded by means of perimetry”.[2][3][4]

However, the visual field can also be understood as a predominantly perceptual concept and its definition then becomes that of the "spatial array of visual sensations available to observation in introspectionist psychological experiments"[5] (for example in van Doorn et al., 2013).[6]

The corresponding concept for optical instruments and image sensors is the field of view (FOV). In humans and animals, the FOV refers to the area visible when eye movements – if possible for the species – are allowed.

In optometry, ophthalmology, and neurology, a visual field test is used to determine whether the visual field is affected by diseases that cause local scotoma or a more extensive loss of vision or a reduction in sensitivity (increase in threshold).

  1. ^ Traquair, Harry Moss (1938). An Introduction to Clinical Perimetry, Chpt. 1. London: Henry Kimpton.
  2. ^ Aulhorn, Elfriede; Harms, Heinrich (1972). Visual Perimetry. In: Handbook of Sensory Physiology book series (1536, volume 7/4. pp. 102–145. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-88658-4_5.
  3. ^ A related definition is “The visual field refers to the area visible during stable fixation of the eyes, specified in degrees of visual angle.”
  4. ^ Strasburger, Hans; Pöppel, Ernst (2002). Visual Field. In G. Adelman & B.H. Smith (Eds): Encyclopedia of Neuroscience; 3rd edition, on CD-ROM. Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, New York.
  5. ^ Smythies, J (1996). "A note on the concept of the visual field in neurology, psychology, and visual neuroscience". Perception. 25 (3): 369–71. doi:10.1068/p250369. PMID 8804101. S2CID 27088663.
  6. ^ van Doorn, Andrea; Koenderink, Jan; Wagemans, Johan (2013). "Exocentric pointing in the visual field". i-Perception. 4 (8): 532–542. doi:10.1068/i0609. PMC 4129387. PMID 8804101.