Eccentricity Effects on Blur and Depth Perception

TL;DR

This paper investigates how eccentricity affects blur and depth perception in near-eye displays through psychophysical experiments, revealing significant eccentricity-dependent variations in discrimination thresholds.

Contribution

It provides new empirical data on eccentricity effects on blur and depth perception, informing better design of focus cues in near-eye display systems.

Findings

Blur discrimination sensitivity decreases with eccentricity.

Depth discrimination threshold increases with eccentricity.

Eccentricity significantly influences visual perception in near-eye displays.

Abstract

Foveation and focus cue are the two most discussed topics on vision in designing near-eye displays. Foveation reduces rendering load by omitting spatial details in the content that the peripheral vision cannot appreciate; Providing richer focal cue can resolve vergence-accommodation conflict thereby lessening visual discomfort in using near-eye displays. We performed two psychophysical experiments to investigate the relationship between foveation and focus cue. The first study measured blur discrimination sensitivity as a function of visual eccentricity, where we found discrimination thresholds significantly lower than previously reported. The second study measured depth discrimination threshold where we found a clear dependency on visual eccentricity. We discuss the results from the two studies and suggest further investigation.