Mapping human visual contrast sensitivity and vision loss across the visual field with model-based fMRI.

Model-based fMRI with large-field stimulation and retinotopic atlas reliably maps contrast sensitivity across the visual field, even with fixation variability, in seven participants.

• Why it matters: Current clinical measures of peripheral vision are limited by the need for precise fixation and focus, making assessment difficult for patients with unstable fixation or severe vision loss.
• What they did: Researchers combined large-field stimulation with varying spatial frequencies and contrast levels, using pRF mapping or a retinotopic atlas to model contrast sensitivity in V1 over 40 degrees of the visual field in seven healthy individuals.
• The result: The method demonstrated reliable, reproducible patterns of V1 sensitivity across individuals and sessions, remained robust despite eye movements, and effectively visualized simulated and disease-linked sensitivity loss, enabling improved monitoring of vision impairments.