Ocular dominance

Ocular dominance, also known as eye preference or eyedness, refers to the tendency to prefer visual input from one eye to the other. It is somewhat analogous to the laterality of right- or left-handedness, however, the side of the dominant eye and the dominant hand do not always match. This phenomenon has implications in neuroscience and optometry.

Overview

File:Ocular dominance columns en.svg

Ocular dominance columns in the visual cortex of a primate.

Ocular dominance is measured on a continuum from strong left-eye dominance to strong right-eye dominance. Most individuals have a dominant eye, and it is especially noticeable when aiming, such as in shooting or archery. The dominant eye, called the fixating eye, is the one that is primarily responsible for input to the visual cortex.

Neurological basis

The visual cortex of the brain, located in the occipital lobe, is the part of the brain that processes visual information. Within the visual cortex are ocular dominance columns, stripes of neurons in the visual cortex that respond preferentially to input from one eye or the other. The distribution of these columns is not even; in humans, there is a slight overall dominance of the right eye.

Clinical significance

Understanding ocular dominance is important in predicting outcomes in treating certain conditions such as strabismus and amblyopia, also known as lazy eye. In these conditions, the brain suppresses the image from the misaligned or weaker eye, leading to a loss of depth perception and binocular vision.

See also

• Binocular vision
• Stereopsis
• Visual perception