Contrast sensitivity to drifting low spatial frequency gratings in central and peripheral retinal areas.

We measured contrast sensitivity to drifting sine wave gratings in central (20 degrees) and peripheral (from +/- 10 degrees to +/- 30 degrees) retinal areas. Low spatial frequencies were used (0.1-3 c/deg). The spatiotemporal sensitivity for spatial frequencies above 0.8 c/deg was found to be better in the central than in the peripheral retina. However, for spatial frequencies below 0.8 c/deg, the spatiotemporal contrast sensitivities of central and peripheral retinal areas were found to be the same. These results were obtained without scaling the peripheral gratings by the reciprocal of the cortical magnification factor.