The Optimal Retinal Locus for High-Resolution Vision in Space and Time.

Josselin Gautier, Norick R Bowers, Martin S Banks, Austin Roorda

Abstract readPreprint

In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Josselin GautierHerbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5876-4001

Norick R BowersHerbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2729-1808

Martin S BanksHerbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4914-1229

Austin RoordaHerbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3785-0848

Funding

TRAINING PROGRAM IN VISION SCIENCET32EY007043 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI Suzanne MJ FLEISZIG · 1985 to 2026

$12.9M

Advanced Technology to Study Visual Function on a Cellular ScaleR01EY023591 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI DUNCAN, JACQUE LYNNE, ROORDA, AUSTIN · 2014 to 2023

$11.2M

NEI NIH HHS R01 EY023591NEI NIH HHS T32 EY007043

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Humans exhibit machine-like eye-movement behavior in space and time while performing challenging visual resolution tasks. Fewer microsaccades occur as stimulus presentation is imminent. Drifts and microsaccades combine to confine the landing location of an anticipated visual stimulus to a tiny retinal region: the preferred retinal locus (PRL). We find that this location confers the best visual acuity despite it being offset from the anatomical fovea (the location of maximum cone density). We also find that acuity is best when the last microsaccade occurs 400msec or longer before stimulus presentation. The machine-like eye movements are involuntary and not perceived. Our findings thus reveal a highly evolved oculomotor system such that gaze direction during fixation is rarely far enough from the PRL to cause a decline in visual resolution.

Identifiers

PMID40654729

DOI10.1101/2025.04.30.650879

PMCPMC12247686

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.