Foveal and peripheral thresholds for detection and resolution of vanishing optotype tumbling E's.

We measured detection and resolution acuity for vanishing optotype tumbling E stimuli in both the fovea and at 30 degrees in the periphery to determine if peripheral resolution is sampling limited for this stimulus. In the fovea, where acuity is optically limited, detection and resolution were the same. At 30 degrees, however, detection was markedly better than resolution indicating that peripheral resolution is sampling limited for this stimulus. Detection acuity was higher when contrast was 90% rather than 40%, but resolution did not change with contrast. The vanishing optotype is a legitimate perimetric stimulus to measure retinal ganglion cell density provided the task is resolution and not detection.