The Two Visual Systems - Central and Peripheral vision

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Neuroscientific literature has identified that the visual system has two visual pathways referred to as central and peripheral (also referred to as Focal/Parvocellular and Ambient/Magnocellular Pathway). The central vision is concerned with form and colour. The peripheral vision is concerned with movement and depth perception and is generally considered to be crucially involved in motion processing.

Central Vision	Peripheral Vision
A comparison between Central and Peripheral Vision
Central vision	Peripheral vision
"What is it" (object recognition) function	"Where Am I / Where is it" function
Involves only central vision	Involves entire visual field
Largely conscious	Largely sub-conscious
Works in isolation	Integrates with other sensory systems
Enables object identification and perception of shape and colour	Enables visually guided movement such as pointing along with posture, balance and movement
Central and Peripheral Vision

Assessing the “whole” visual system

Normally, an optometrist measures eye aiming and focusing, which are controlled by the central and autonomic nervous systems respectively, while working in front of a Phoropter filled with lenses. Peripheral vision function is not taken into consideration.

The function of the peripheral is to establish “Where Am I/Where is it” and enables visually guided movement such as pointing, reaching and grasping along with posture, balance and movement. During a VSI assessment the function of the “whole” visual system is assessed by testing visually guided movement and auditory processing under more natural conditions

A comparison between testing under natural conditions and standard testing using a Phoropter

Trial Frame	Phoropter