Depth-of-focus of the human eye in the near retinal periphery

Although the depth-of-focus in the foveal region has been well investigated, knowledge regarding the effect of retinal eccentricity on blur detection and sensitivity is limited. In the present study, the depth-of-focus at the fovea and in the near retinal periphery (0 degrees -8 degrees ) was assessed psychophysically in 7 human subjects using a 5 mm artificial pupil with accommodation paralyzed. The group mean total depth-of-focus progressively increased linearly from 0.89 D at the fovea to 3.51 D at a retinal eccentricity of 8 degrees at the rate of 0.29 D/degree, with response variability (S.E.M.) remaining relatively constant (+/-0.17 D). We speculate that the reduced detection and sensitivity to blur in the near periphery may be attributed to retinal topography, sharpness overconstancy, optical aberrations, and visual attention in peripheral vision.