Have you ever seen a ball coming from your right side but never actually focused on the ball flying to begin with? Why is it that although we focus our vision on one object, we can still see the surrounding background?
The ability to see the surrounding areas of an image is what is called peripheral vision. It's that blurry side image whenever you look at something. It's not directly in front of you, but it's to the "side." But what causes our eyes to be able to use our peripheral vision, and is our peripheral vision actually clear?
When you look at an image, rays of light fly directly into your eye, allowing you to see an image. Vision is caused by a variety of light rays hitting what is called the retina, a thin layer of cells at the back of your eye that processes images. Once the image is processed, it is sent as an electrical signal by your neurons to a special area of your brain called the Occipital lobe, which is responsible for processing mainly vision.
So how do we see color and motion? On your retina, there are special cells only found in the eye called rods and cones. Rods are responsible for black/white vision and mainly motion, while cones allow for you to see color. It's a common myth to say that dogs are colorblind. In fact, they have more rods than cones, and that is why they are able to detect things moving in the dark better than we are.
What's the deal with Peripheral Vision????
View the following video to understand more about peripheral vision.