A Correlation between Pupillary Area and Retinal Sensibility

Abstract

An analysis of the experimental data from fifteen subjects indicates that the variation in retinal sensibility between the subjects is of the same order as the variation in the areas of the natural pupils. It is also evident that pupillary area and retinal sensibility are opposing factors with respect to their possible influence upon the level of illumination selected by an introspective appraisal of seeing. In general, the subjects with the larger pupils usually have the lower retinal sensibility, and vice versa. Differences in pupil size and in retinal sensibility account only in part for the wide differences in levels of illumination selected as desirable by various subjects for a given critical visual test, such as reading. Apparently these differences are not chiefly due to physiological factors associated with the visual sense. From the Lighting Research Laboratory of the General Electric Company. An analysis of the experimental data from fifteen subjects indicates that the variation in retinal sensibility between the subjects is of the same order as the variation in the areas of the natural pupils. It is also evident that pupillary area and retinal sensibility are opposing factors with respect to their possible influence upon the level of illumination selected by an introspective appraisal of seeing. In general, the subjects with the larger pupils usually have the lower retinal sensibility, and vice versa. Differences in pupil size and in retinal sensibility account only in part for the wide differences in levels of illumination selected as desirable by various subjects for a given critical visual test, such as reading. Apparently these differences are not chiefly due to physiological factors associated with the visual sense. From the Lighting Research Laboratory of the General Electric Company.