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Seeing movement in the dark

Nature volume 398, pages 475–476 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Our visual world is greatly reduced at night. Spatial and temporal resolution are poor, contrast sensitivity is diminished, and colour vision is totally absent1, as rod photoreceptors are used rather than the cone photoreceptors that operate during the day. Many aspects of rod vision, including spectral, contrast and flicker sensitivity, have been studied in detail1, but motion perception has been largely ignored2. We find that motion perception using rods is impaired, with moving objects appearing to be slower than they are during cone vision.

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Figure 1: Relative movement of rod and cone stimuli.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für biologische Kybernetik, Spemannstrasse 38, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Karl R. Gegenfurtner

  2. Universitätsaugenklinik, FEO, Rntgenweg 11, 72076, Tbingen, Germany

    Helmut Mayser & Lindsay T. Sharpe

Authors
  1. Karl R. Gegenfurtner
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  2. Helmut Mayser
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  3. Lindsay T. Sharpe
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Gegenfurtner, K., Mayser, H. & Sharpe, L. Seeing movement in the dark. Nature 398, 475–476 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/19004

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