Visual field loss

A reduction in the area of vision that a person can see, either in the periphery (peripheral vision loss or tunnel vision) or in the center (central vision loss or central scotoma). Visual field loss is caused by conditions such as glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, stroke, and optic nerve damage. It significantly affects daily activities including reading, navigation, and social interaction, as people cannot see objects or hazards outside their remaining field of view. For digital accessibility, visual field loss impacts how users scan screens, interact with content spread across large displays, and use technologies that assume full peripheral awareness. Users with peripheral vision loss often adopt compensatory scanning strategies, making more eye and head movements to gather information that sighted people perceive automatically.