Retinal Disparity

Did you know that the image your left eye perceives is not exactly the same as the image your right eye perceives? If you cover your left eye and look straight ahead, you will not be able to see anything in the left peripheral area. In contrast, if you cover your right eye and continue looking straight ahead, you will not see in the right peripheral area. Each eye receives a slightly different perspective or image, however, a person does not see two seperate images. The images overlap in the center, and the brain connects these together into one seamless view. Thus, Retinal Disparity is the difference between the visual images that each eye perceives because of the different angles in which each eye views the world. Retinal disparity is important for depth perception. Diplopia, meaning "double vision," occurs if a person sees two images in their visual field instead of one seamless image.