BASIC CONCEPTS OF BINOCULAR VISION

• University of Gondar
By Nebiyat Feleke (BSc ,MSc)
 Learning objectives
• By the end of this lesson ,the student will be
able to :
• Identify the basic concepts of binocular
vision (CRPs, Horoptor, Pannums fussional
area, Veith Muller circle)
 Binocular Single Vision

REQUIRES:

1. Clear Visual Axis

2. Intact anatomy

3. Sensory fusion

4. Motor fusion
 Sensory aspects of BV
1.Corresponding Retinal Points
 Retinal elements of the two eyes that share a
common visual direction are called
corresponding retinal points.
 All other retinal elements are non-corresponding
or disparate
 When the two eyes steadily fixate a point in the
‘straight ahead’ direction the visual fields for the
two eyes overlap except for the temporal
crescents, which are imaged on the nasal retinas
 Corresponding retinal points

Objects in the right visual field will be imaged on

left halves of each retina and information passes
along the nerves in the left hemisphere.
Upon reaching the visual cortex in the occipital
lobe, the fibres from the two retinas meet on the
upper and lower lips of the calcarine fissure, at
the striate area.
Monoc & Binoc Visual fields
 CRPs….
their nerve fibres project on a single point (or area) in the visual

cortex, enabling fusion to occur.

Corresponding points :

opairs of points

oone on each retina

ohaving the same visual direction and

osending their nerve impulses to the same point in the visual cortex.
Corresponding retinal points defined as locations of zero
retinal disparity. Objects on the Horopter should appear
equidistant from the observer - lie in a flat plane.
 2.The Horopter

For a given fixation point, all points in object space

that form images on pairs of corresponding retinal
points form an imaginary surface known as the
horopter.

Usually a slightly curved surface, either concave or

convex toward the observer, centered on the
fixation point, that moves with the eyes
 Horopter…
• If corresponding retinal points for the two eyes were
symmetrically placed, the shape of the horoptor would be a
circle – the Vieth-Mueller circle.

• The fact that the experimentally determined horoptor does

not coincide with the Vieth-Mueller circle has been
interpreted to indicate that the separation of corresponding
retinal points is unequal on the nasal and temporal halves of
the retina.
 3.Panum’s fusional area

• The range of disparities for which binocular

fusion occurs is known as Panum’s area.
 Despite the term ‘corresponding points’, the
correspondence is not a precise point-to-point
relationship but rather of a point to an area,
named after Panum.
Near the fovea, Panum’s areas are
approximately elliptical with the major axis
horizontal and subtending about 5 minutes of
arc at the nodal point. In the periphery of the
retina they are larger, subtending 30-40
minutes.
 Because of Panum’s fusional areas, the
horopter is not a surface but a solid
 Points located within the region of single binocular vision
form images within Panum’s areas for the two eyes and,
therefore, are seen singly.
 However, if an object point is located in front or behind
the region of single binocular vision (while the subject
fixates the same point), double vision occurs.
 This is known as physiological diplopia
 B. Motor aspects of BV

1. Eye movements:

a. Conjugate/Version movements

- In which both eyes move in the same direction (to the

right, to the left, upward or downward)
• Except for vertical movements, conjugate movements
involve the action of different muscles for the two eyes.
• The muscles involved in making the movement
are called yoke muscles.
• Their innervations has been described by
Herrng’s Law Conjugate movements may be
either saccadic movements or following (pursuit)
movements
 Versions:-

Supraversion
Dextrocycl Laevocyclo-
o-version version

Dextroversion Laevoversion

Infraversion
 Eye movements
b. Disjunctive Movements
- In which the eyes move toward on another (convergence) or
away from one another (divergence)
• Of the two types, convergence is the more highly developed, its
amplitude being about 10 times that of divergence.
– Divergence (at distance) ~ 6 degrees, 9.5 prism dioptres
– Convergence at near (to nose) up to 60 degrees,
95 prism dioptres
 Vergences:-

Incyclo-
Excyclo- vergence Excyclo-
vergence vergence

Divergence Divergence
Convergence
 Motor aspect …
Stimuli for vergence movements:

1. Changes in accommodation (accommodative

convergence)
2. Retinal disparity (disparity convergence or
fusional convergence)
3. Awareness of nearness of an object (proximal
convergence).
• Eye movements often contain both a conjugate
and vergence component, as in using
asymmetric convergence when changing
fixation from a distant object straight ahead to
a near object located to one side
Disjunctive mov’ts summary
Motor fusion refers to the vergence movements made by the

eyes in response to retinal disparity and having the result of

obtaining or maintaining images on corresponding retinal

points so sensory fusion may take place.

 Thank you

for

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