The Visual Field and Visual Processing

Central Visual Field

Left Visual Field Right Visual Field

Peripheral Peripheral
Vision Vision
Temporal Temporal
Retina Retina
Nasal
Retina
NASAL area of retina responsible for
TEMPORAL field of view on same side Optic Optic
Chiasm Nerve

TEMPORAL area of retina responsible

for NASAL field of view on opposite Reminder: Use ‘Presenter’
side LGN LGN mode to click through
animations :)
OPTIC NERVE receives input from TWO
Optic
field of view (before optic chiasm) Tract

OPTIC TRACT receives input from ONE Primary Visual

field of view (after optic chiasm) Cortex
 Central Visual Field
Left Visual Field Right Visual Field

Peripheral Peripheral
Vision Vision

Imagine 4 flashlights shining light to

cover each quarter field of view.
LGN LGN

Primary Visual
Cortex
Assume that for each example there is a
SINGLE visual lesion i.e., you could
“create” the visual lesion using a scalpel
to make a single incision (brutal, I
know)
Left Visual Field Right Visual Field

Important note:

Let us imagine that a patient cannot see

in her right central visual field.

The deficit is caused by a lesion

Temporal Temporal somewhere along the area highlighted in
Retina Nasal
Retina red. Importantly, the lesion could occur
Retina at the left temporal retina (Point 1). It
Point 1 Optic could also occur further down the left
Chiasm outer optic nerve (Point 2 or Point 3).
Point 2
The main idea is that each of these
Point 3 LGN
LGN answers is correct. The key task is
identifying the ’red’ region in the first
place (i.e., which pathway is affected).

Primary Visual
Cortex
Left Visual Field Right Visual Field

Patient 1 cannot see in her

right lateral visual field

If we trace down from the right

Temporal
Temporal
Retina
lateral visual field, we can see that
Retina Nasal
Retina
the right nasal retina/inner right
optic nerve is afflicted.
Optic
Chiasm
We know that the left optic tract
is not afflicted because the
patient is able to see in her right
LGN LGN
central visual field.

Primary Visual
Cortex
Left Visual Field Right Visual Field

Patient 2 cannot see in both his

right and left lateral visual fields

If we trace down from the right and left

lateral visual fields, we can see that each
Temporal Temporal nasal retina/inner optic nerve is afflicted.
Retina Retina
Nasal
Retina
Because there is a single lesion, we know
Optic that the lesion occurs at the optic chiasm
Chiasm
where the inner optic nerves intersect.

While it is possible that there could be 2

LGN LGN lesions (one each nasal retina/inner optic
nerve), in IntroPsych we tend to follow
the most parsimonious (simple)
explanation.
Primary Visual
Cortex
Left Visual Field Right Visual Field

Patient 3 cannot see in her

entire left visual field

If we trace down from the left visual field,

we can see that the right optic tract is
Temporal Temporal afflicted.
Retina Retina
Nasal
Retina Because there is a single lesion, we know
Optic
that the lesion occurs at the right optic tract
Chiasm because this is where information from the
left nasal retina and the right temporal
retina converge.
LGN LGN
While it is possible that there could be 2
lesions (one at the left nasal retina and one
at the right temporal retina), in IntroPsych
Primary Visual we tend to follow the most parsimonious
Cortex (simple) explanation.