title: Spectral sensitivity and wavelength discrimination of the human peripheral visual field.
abstract: Spectral sensitivity and wavelength discrimination are determined along the nasal horizontal meridian of the human peripheral retina. The target size as a function of eccentricity is varied according to a particular cortical magnification factor. Spectral sensitivity is measured by flicker photometry parameterized for the flicker frequency (10-20 Hz) and is found to be independent of the eccentricity (0-80 degrees) for 20-Hz flicker photometry after correction of the foveal spectral sensitivity for macular pigment absorption. This 20-Hz function is chosen as being representative for the peripheral luminous-efficiency function and is used in the wavelength-discrimination experiments. The peripheral retina can perform wavelength discrimination up to an eccentricity of 80 degrees. If field-size scaling according to the eccentricity-dependent cone density, the cortical magnification factor, or the reciprocal of the interganglion cell distance is applied, then wavelength-discrimination performance from 8 degrees to 80 degrees eccentricity is roughly the same. Foveal wavelength discrimination is considerably better than peripheral wavelength discrimination.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003119:Color Perception Tests / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005425:Flicker Fusion; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010783:Photometry; D014794:Visual Fields