Visual discomfort and blur

Louise O'Hare, Paul Barry Hibbard

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Certain visual stimuli, such as striped patterns and filtered noise, have been reported to be uncomfortable. Some filtered noise patterns judged as uncomfortable are those with a relative decrease in contrast amplitude at high spatial frequencies, compared with the statistics typical of natural images. Decreased amplitude at high spatial frequencies is a characteristic often associated with perceived blur. Additionally, the distribution of contrast across spatial frequencies also provides a cue for the accommodation (focusing) response. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between excess low spatial frequency information, discomfort judgments and perceived blur. Results of these experiments show that a relative reduction in high spatial frequency contrast results in both increased discomfort and perceived blur. This is both in artificial and natural stimuli. A possible explanation for this relationship based on accommodation responses is proposed.
Original languageEnglish
Article number7
JournalJournal of Vision
Volume13
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Apr 2013

Keywords

  • Visual stimuli
  • Natural images
  • Blur
  • Spatial frequency
  • Visual discomfort

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