Tunnel vision

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Tunnel vision
Tunnel vision sc.png
Tunnel vision imitation
Specialty Ophthalmology

Tunnel visionis the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision. [1]

Contents

Causes

Tunnel vision can be caused by:

Eyeglass users

Eyeglass users experience tunnel vision to varying degrees due to the corrective lens only providing a small area of proper focus, with the rest of the field of view beyond the lenses being unfocused and blurry. Where a naturally sighted person only needs to move their eyes to see an object far to the side or far down, the eyeglass wearer may need to move their whole head to point the eyeglasses towards the target object.[ citation needed ]

The eyeglass frame also blocks the view of the world with a thin opaque boundary separating the lens area from the rest of the field of view. The eyeglass frame is capable of obscuring small objects and details in the peripheral field.[ citation needed ]

Mask, goggle, and helmet users

Wide-field, wrap-around diving mask US Navy 050727-N-0295M-010 Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Shane Portton emerges out of the Navy Diver-Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) dive tank exhibit at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree held at Fort A.P. Hill, Va.jpg
Wide-field, wrap-around diving mask
Diving mask with narrow field of view Full face diving mask - ocean reef.JPG
Diving mask with narrow field of view
Extremely large wide-field binoculars that would not be practical to carry Navy binoculars.jpg
Extremely large wide-field binoculars that would not be practical to carry

Activities which require a protective mask, safety goggles, or fully enclosing protective helmet can also result in an experience approximating tunnel vision. Underwater diving masks using a single flat transparent lens usually have the lens surface several centimeters from the eyes. The lens is typically enclosed with an opaque black rubber sealing shell to keep out water. For this type of mask the peripheral field of the diver is extremely limited. Generally, the peripheral field of a diving mask is improved if the lenses are as close to the eye as possible, or if the lenses are large, multi-window, or is a curved wrap-around design.[ citation needed ]

Optical instruments

Binoculars, telescopes, and microscopes induce an experience of extreme tunnel vision due to the design of the optical components.

A wide field microscope or telescope generally requires much larger diameter and thicker lenses, or complex parabolic mirror assemblies, either of which results in significantly greater cost for construction of the optical device.[ citation needed ]

Wide-field binoculars are possible, but require bulkier, heavier, and more complex eyepieces. The diameter of the objective lenses is unimportant for field of view. [10] The widest-angle eyepieces used in telescopes are so large that two would not fit side-by-side for use in binoculars.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glaucoma</span> Group of eye diseases

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that lead to damage of the optic nerve, which is important for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain. This damage is often caused by increased pressure within the eye, known as intraocular pressure (IOP) and may cause vision loss if left untreated. The word glaucoma originated from the Greek word ΓλαύV̇ξ (glaukos), which means "to glow". Glaucoma has been called the "silent thief of sight" because the loss of vision usually occurs slowly over a long period of time. It is associated with old age, a family history of glaucoma, and certain medical conditions or medications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasses</span> Form of vision aid

Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear with lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms that rest over the ears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binoculars</span> Pair of telescopes mounted side-by-side

Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held using both hands, although sizes vary widely from opera glasses to large pedestal-mounted military models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monocular</span> Optical device

A monocular is a compact refracting telescope used to magnify images of distant objects, typically using an optical prism to ensure an erect image, instead of using relay lenses like most telescopic sights. The volume and weight of a monocular are typically less than half of a pair of binoculars with similar optical properties, making it more portable and also less expensive. This is because binoculars are essentially a pair of monoculars packed together — one for each eye. As a result, monoculars only produce two-dimensional images, while binoculars can use two parallaxed images to produce binocular vision, which allows stereopsis and depth perception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refracting telescope</span> Type of optical telescope

A refracting telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image. The refracting telescope design was originally used in spyglasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long-focus camera lenses. Although large refracting telescopes were very popular in the second half of the 19th century, for most research purposes, the refracting telescope has been superseded by the reflecting telescope, which allows larger apertures. A refractor's magnification is calculated by dividing the focal length of the objective lens by that of the eyepiece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optical telescope</span> Telescope for observations with visible light

An optical telescope is a telescope that gathers and focuses light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, to create a magnified image for direct visual inspection, to make a photograph, or to collect data through electronic image sensors.

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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic disorder of the eyes that causes loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision. As peripheral vision worsens, people may experience "tunnel vision". Complete blindness is uncommon. Onset of symptoms is generally gradual and often begins in childhood.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnification</span> Process of enlarging the apparent size of something

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This is a partial list of human eye diseases and disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyepiece</span> Type of lens attached to a variety of optical devices such as telescopes and microscopes

An eyepiece, or ocular lens, is a type of lens that is attached to a variety of optical devices such as telescopes and microscopes. It is named because it is usually the lens that is closest to the eye when someone looks through an optical device to observe an object or sample. The objective lens or mirror collects light from an object or sample and brings it to focus creating an image of the object. The eyepiece is placed near the focal point of the objective to magnify this image to the eyes. The amount of magnification depends on the focal length of the eyepiece.

The visual field is "that portion of space in which objects are visible at the same moment during steady fixation of the gaze in one direction"; in ophthalmology and neurology the emphasis is on the structure inside the visual field and it is then considered “the field of functional capacity obtained and recorded by means of perimetry”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exit pupil</span>

In optics, the exit pupil is a virtual aperture in an optical system. Only rays which pass through this virtual aperture can exit the system. The exit pupil is the image of the aperture stop in the optics that follow it. In a telescope or compound microscope, this image is the image of the objective element(s) as produced by the eyepiece. The size and shape of this disc is crucial to the instrument's performance, because the observer's eye can see light only if it passes through the aperture. The term exit pupil is also sometimes used to refer to the diameter of the virtual aperture. Older literature on optics sometimes refers to the exit pupil as the Ramsden disc, named after English instrument-maker Jesse Ramsden.

The eye relief of an optical instrument is the distance from the last surface of an eyepiece within which the user's eye can obtain the full viewing angle. If a viewer's eye is outside this distance, a reduced field of view will be obtained. The calculation of eye relief is complex, though generally, the higher the magnification and the larger the intended field of view, the shorter the eye relief.

Heinrich Erfle was a German optician who spent most of his career at Carl Zeiss. In 1917 he invented the first wide-field eyepieces for telescopes and binoculars. During his short life he developed a number of new designs for telescopes and eyepieces. Erfle died at the age of 39 from an infection caused after he "accidentally stabbed himself in the leg with a fountain pen and did not pay attention to the wound." After Erfle's death, his patent applications were filed by Rudolph Straubel for the benefit of Erfle's family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retinitis</span> Medical condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellucid marginal degeneration</span> Degenerative corneal condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afocal photography</span> Method of photography

Afocal photography, also called afocal imaging or afocal projection is a method of photography where the camera with its lens attached is mounted over the eyepiece of another image forming system such as an optical telescope or optical microscope, with the camera lens taking the place of the human eye.

References

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