Anatomical Limitations of the Visual Field of View: An Example of Driving Perspective

Visual acuity is defined as the spatial resolution capacity of the visual system. It is commonly accepted that the foveal, or on-center visual acuity, is far better than the peripheral acuity due to retinal and cortex constructions [Anstis, 1998]. Other factors affect the way an individual visually perceives their surroundings as well. This paper seeks to illustrate the variance of the visual field in terms of several compounding factors including acuity, depth perception, and color perception and their effect on a vehicle operator's visual field. Within accident reconstruction, digital renderings of an accident are often re-created from the vantage point of one or more persons to illustrate what they may have perceived prior to and during an event. However, typically no compensations are made to account for any general and/or individual visual based sensory degradation. The only limits imposed with the renderings are the screen and its subsequent resolution and the camera settings utilized. Within this study, a digital rendering of a driving scenario was used along with several visual based filters to illustrate the difference between general animation renderings and one in which anatomical limitations are accounted. The results of this study depict significant differences in image perception when visual acuity impairments were incorporated and thus it was concluded that basic animations give an unnatural awareness to the surrounding scene. However, with the proper visual based filters applied, the image provides a more accurate and true representation of what an accident witness perceives and thus is a preferred application.