Peripheral Limitations on Spatial Vision
Abstract
This project employed psychophysical techniques to examine the limitation on spatial vision imposed by the first stages in the visual pathway. All the experiments capitalized on the use of laser interferometry, which allows sinusoidal gratings to be formed on an observer's retina that are immune to optical blurring. Comparisons of contrast sensitivity to such gratings with contrast sensitivity to gratings viewed under normal conditions provides an estimate of the modulation transfer function of the eye's optics. In addition, the appearance of very high frequency gratings is distorted, or aliased, by the cone mosaic. Such moire patterns provide the basis for a number of psychophysical techniques to assess the topography of the cone mosaic in the living eye. These measurements, accompanied by measurements of visual acuity for interference fringes clarify the relationship between cone spacing and resolution. Resolution was also measured under conditions in which only the M or L cones could detect the interference fringe. Visual acuity was little different than it was when both cone types detected the grating, showing that resolution is immune to photoreceptor loss under these circumstances.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 06, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA203388
Entities
People
- David R. Williams
Organizations
- University of Rochester