Perimetry of Contrast Detection Thresholds of Moving Spatial Sine Wave Patterns. I. The Near Peripheral Visual Field (eccentricity 0 Degrees-8 Degrees)

Contrast detection thresholds for moving spatial sine wave gratings were obtained, at the fovea, and at eccentricities of 1 degree, 2 degrees, 4 degrees, 6 degrees, and 8 degrees on the nasal horizontal meridan, for two subjects. The target field subtended 30 X 30 minutes of arc. The spatial frequency range extended from 2 cpd up to the spatial resolution limit, the temporal frequency range from 0.1 Hz up to the CFF. Mean retinal illuminance was 10 trolands. We find for these conditions: (i) Contrast detection thresholds are higher, the higher the spatial and/or temporal frequency of the stimulus. (ii) Acuity appears to be independent of the temporal frequency, the CFF appears to be independent of the spatial frequency. (iii) The higher the eccentricity, the higher the contrast detection threshold for any drifting sine wave pattern. The threshold doubles roughly any 2 degrees-3 degrees for spatial frequencies of 2-20 cpd, except that the visual field for a given fineness of grating is blind beyond a certain critical eccentricity. This critical eccentricity is a monotonically decreasing function of the spatial frequency of the grating. These measurements do not support the hypothesis that coarse patterns are preferentially detected at extrafoveal sites in the visual field.