Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Focusing of Light in the Eye01:16

Focusing of Light in the Eye

Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that is the eye's outermost layer. The cornea bends or refracts, light rays traveling to the pupil. The shape of the cornea determines how much of the light is bent and whether the image will be focused correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. Once the light has passed through both refraction layers, it converges into a single focal point onto a small area. This is where photoreceptors start transforming...
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...
Visual Agnosia01:12

Visual Agnosia

Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round end"...
Accessory Structures of the Eye01:17

Accessory Structures of the Eye

Optical perception, or vision, is an extraordinary sense dependent on converting light signals received via the ocular organs. These organs, known as eyes, are securely positioned within the bony cavities of the skull, called orbits. The orbits serve a dual purpose: a protective shield for the ocular globes and a stable attachment point for the soft ocular tissues. The eye's external protective mechanisms include the eyelids, which are edged with lashes that act as a barrier against foreign...
Blinding01:11

Blinding

Blinding is a commonly used method of not telling participants which treatment a subject is receiving. Blinding is a critical part of a randomized control trial or RCT. It reduces the bias that affects the results. In an RCT, blinding is used in the form of a placebo. A placebo effect occurs when untreated subjects falsely believe they have received the treatment and report improved symptoms. A placebo or a dummy treatment is administered to subjects to negate the bias caused by such an effect.
Aliasing01:18

Aliasing

Accurate signal sampling and reconstruction are crucial in various signal-processing applications. A time-domain signal's spectrum can be revealed using its Fourier transform. When this signal is sampled at a specific frequency, it results in multiple scaled replicas of the original spectrum in the frequency domain. The spacing of these replicas is determined by the sampling frequency.
If the sampling frequency is below the Nyquist rate, these replicas overlap, preventing the original signal...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Cerebral Basis for Visual Discomfort and Visual Stress.

Vision (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

People who play games regularly are no more robust to unpleasant images compared to those who do not in preparation for brain research.

Brain research·2026
Same author

Measuring visual discomfort - a novel two-step method for reducing criterion effects when measuring subjective responses.

Vision research·2026
Same author

Visual discomfort for flickering sinusoids is not predicted by the spatio-temporal contrast sensitivity function.

Vision research·2025
Same author

A Bayesian model of distance perception from ocular convergence.

PLoS computational biology·2025
Same author

Evidence for increased background neural noise in migraine with aura: Hyperactive but not hyperresponsive.

Headache·2025
Same journal

Analysis of human visual experience data.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Pyramid-based Bayesian modeling for high-resolution behavioral analysis.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Sensation without perception: The white whale effect and perceptual blindness in autonomous vehicles.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Gaze behavior during closed-captioned movie viewing adapts to absent audio through more frequent switching between text and scene.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

In pursuit of saccade awareness: Limited volitional control and minimal conscious access to catch-up saccades during smooth pursuit eye movements.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Dissociable effects of element-lifetime and stimulus-duration on local and global motion processing: An equivalent noise study.

Journal of vision·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

Measuring the Behavioral Effects of Intraocular Scatter
05:10

Measuring the Behavioral Effects of Intraocular Scatter

Published on: February 18, 2021

Visual discomfort and blur.

Louise O'Hare1, Paul B Hibbard

  • 1School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK. lo26@st-andrews.ac.uk

Journal of Vision
|April 12, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Reduced high spatial frequency contrast in visual stimuli increases discomfort and perceived blur. This finding applies to both artificial and natural images, potentially linked to visual focusing mechanisms.

More Related Videos

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes
06:25

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes

Published on: February 23, 2024

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition
07:45

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition

Published on: July 21, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 12, 2026

Measuring the Behavioral Effects of Intraocular Scatter
05:10

Measuring the Behavioral Effects of Intraocular Scatter

Published on: February 18, 2021

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes
06:25

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes

Published on: February 23, 2024

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition
07:45

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition

Published on: July 21, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Visual perception
  • Image processing
  • Human factors

Background:

  • Certain visual stimuli, like striped patterns and filtered noise, can cause discomfort.
  • Uncomfortable filtered noise patterns often show reduced contrast amplitude at high spatial frequencies, deviating from natural image statistics.
  • This reduction in high spatial frequency contrast is associated with perceived blur and influences visual focusing (accommodation).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between excess low spatial frequency information, visual discomfort, and perceived blur.
  • To explore how alterations in spatial frequency contrast affect visual perception and comfort.

Main Methods:

  • Experiments were conducted using artificial and natural visual stimuli.
  • Stimuli were manipulated to vary contrast amplitude across different spatial frequencies.
  • Participants provided judgments on discomfort and perceived blur.

Main Results:

  • A relative reduction in high spatial frequency contrast led to increased reported discomfort.
  • Reduced high spatial frequency contrast also resulted in a greater perception of blur.
  • These effects were observed consistently across both artificial and natural visual stimuli.

Conclusions:

  • A decrease in high spatial frequency contrast is a significant factor in visual discomfort and perceived blur.
  • The findings suggest a link between spatial frequency content, visual comfort, and the eye's focusing response (accommodation).
  • Further research may explore the precise mechanisms of accommodation in mediating these effects.