Human Peripheral Spatial Resolution for Achromatic and Chromatic Stimuli: Limits Imposed by Optical and Retinal Factors

1. The aim of this study was to determine whether optical, receptoral or higher-order neural properties limit spatial resolution (acuity) in human vision, especially in the peripheral regions of the visual field. 2. Both achromatic and chromatic stimuli were used, and measures were taken to ensure that the resolution estimates were not contaminated by the detection of spatial sampling artifacts. Spatial contrast sensitivity functions were measured at retinal locations from 0 to 55 deg along the naso-temporal meridian for: (i) discriminating the direction of drift of luminance-modulated (black-white) sinusoidal stimuli drifting at 8 Hz (achromatic task); and (ii) for detecting isoluminant red-green sinusoidal stimuli drifting at 0.4 Hz (chromatic task). Achromatic contrast sensitivity functions were also measured along the vertical meridian for eccentricities of 8 and 40 deg. Each achromatic function was extrapolated to a contrast sensitivity of one (100% contrast) to estimate achromatic acuity. Chromatic acuities were obtained by expressing chromatic contrast in terms of cone contrasts and using the same method of extrapolation. We compared the results with recent data on human optical properties and retinal anatomy. 3. Both achromatic and chromatic acuity decline with distance from the fovea, but at a faster rate than that dictated by the known optical and/or receptoral properties of the human eye. We conclude that, for stimuli of either achromatic or chromatic contrast, peripheral spatial resolution is limited by post-receptoral mechanisms. Also, chromatic acuity declines more steeply than luminance acuity with eccentricity suggesting that there are additional post-receptoral limitations on colour resolution in the periphery. 4. A clear naso-temporal asymmetry is seen in the resolution whose dependence is qualitatively, but not quantitatively, similar to the Nyquist limits imposed by the asymmetric density of human retinal ganglion cells. We discuss the possibility that in peripheral vision (beyond the optic nerve head) the spacing of ganglion cells may pose a fundamental limit on the resolution of achromatic stimuli, but not chromatic stimuli.