Vision out of the corner of the eye

The margin of the temporal visual field lies more than 90° from the line of sight and is critical for detecting incoming threats and for balance and locomotive control. We show (i) contrast sensitivity beyond 70° is higher for moving stimuli than for stationary, and in the outermost region, only moving stimuli are visible; (ii) sensitivity is highest for motion in directions near the vertical and horizontal axes and is higher for forward than for backward directions; (iii) the former anisotropy arises early in the visual pathway; (iv) thresholds for discriminating direction are lowest for upward and downward motion.

Research highlights
► Contrast sensitivity at eccentricities beyond 70° is highest for moving stimuli.
► In the outermost peripheral region, only moving stimuli are visible.
► Sensitivity is highest for near-vertical and -horizontal directions.
► This anisotropy arises early in the visual pathway.
► Discrimination thresholds were lowest for upward and downward motion.