IS THERE A SYSTEMATIC LOCATION FOR THE PSEUDO-FOVEA IN PATIENTS WITH CENTRAL SCOTOMA

The retinal location of preferential fixations of twenty-four patients with central scotoma were studied when reading digits projected onto their retina with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope. In the majority of cases the fixation was located on the left part, or the inferior part of the visual field relative to the central scotoma. The fact that the inferior visual field is used is coherent with the notion that the lo wer visual field is important for locomotion. However the preferential use of the left field appears contradictory with data showing superio rity of visual faculties in the right visual field. This result may po ssibly be explained in relation to the need for left-to-right readers to monitor where their eyes have landed relative to the word previousl y fixated on the left.