Visual attention in blindsight: sensitivity in the blind field increased by targets in the sighted field

Damage to primary visual cortex results in a scotoma, or region of blindness, which can nevertheless be accompanied by residual visual abilities in the affected field. This dissociation of visual processing and visual experience is often described as blindsight. We investigated the role of visual attention in blindsight and the application of limited visual resources between the blind and sighted fields in a well-studied case. Contrary to expectations based on normal capacity limits, processing a target in the sighted field improved rather than interfered with processing of targets in the blind field. The benefit from the sighted field was greater when blind and sighted targets were in symmetric locations about the vertical meridian.