Optical and neural factors limiting acuity development: evidence obtained from a monkey model

Infants have much poorer acuity than adults. Recent experiments with infant monkeys indicate that this poor acuity cannot be explained on the basis of optics (quality of the retinal image) or sampling frequency (inter-receptor spacing). On the other hand, the poor acuity is not just a reflection of immature cognitive or motor development. Rather, the development of adult acuity levels appears to depend on maturation of neural elements in the early stages of the visual system.