Orientation of the preferred retinal locus (PRL) is maintained following changes in simulated scotoma size.

ABSTRACT: Although macular lesions often enlarge, we know little about what happens when the preferred retinal locus (PRL) is enveloped by the lesion. We present a prospective study of subjects with normal vision who were trained to develop a PRL using simulated scotomas with a gaze-contingent visual display. We hypothesized that, when subjects had developed a robust PRL and the scotoma size was increased, the PRL would move to remain outside the scotoma and in a direction that maintained the orientation (theta) of the PRL relative to the fovea. Nine subjects with normal vision were trained to develop a PRL and were then exposed to scotoma sizes that ranged from 4° to 24° in diameter. Subjects tracked a stimulus using saccades or smooth pursuits. Fixation stability was measured by calculating the bi

SUBMITTER: Costela FM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7424101 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature