May 2008
Volume 8, Issue 6
Free
Vision Sciences Society Annual Meeting Abstract  |   May 2008
Early scotopic dark adaptation; change in noise alone?
Author Affiliations
  • Adam Reeves
    Dept. of Psychology, 125NI, Northeastern University, Boston MA 02115
  • Rebecca Grayhem
    Dept. of Psychology, 125NI, Northeastern University, Boston MA 02115
Journal of Vision May 2008, Vol.8, 955. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/8.6.955
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      Adam Reeves, Rebecca Grayhem; Early scotopic dark adaptation; change in noise alone?. Journal of Vision 2008;8(6):955. https://doi.org/10.1167/8.6.955.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Just after turning off a steady adaptation field, the log threshold for a large, 1.3 deg, rod-mediated test flashes abruptly drops from the Weberian increment threshold curve half-way down to absolute threshold, before the leisurely process of dark adaptation begins (Reeves & Grayhem, VSS 2007). The abrupt drop parallels that seen in photopic vision and is due, we argued, to the removal of photon-driven (square-root) noise consequent on shutting off the adaptation field (Krauskopf & Reeves, Vision Research 20, 193–196). Method We now test the same idea with a tiny, 5 min arc, 200 ms rod-detected test seen in Maxwellian view, for which the increment threshold curve follows the Rose-DeVries square-root law. Result: Thresholds dropped abruptly from the square-root law right to the absolute threshold, as predicted by the removal of photon-driven noise from the field. Conclusions: photon noise from the field always drives up threshold following the square-root law. Light adaptation additionally reduces sensitivity by saturating responses to large scotopic tests in a manner also proportional to the square-root of field intensity, the combined effect giving rise to Weberian behavior. Tiny rod tests escape saturation and reveal the photon-driven noise effect alone.

Reeves, A. Grayhem, R. (2008). Early scotopic dark adaptation; change in noise alone? [Abstract]. Journal of Vision, 8(6):955, 955a, http://journalofvision.org/8/6/955/, doi:10.1167/8.6.955. [CrossRef]
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