Scotoma (pl. Scotomata)

Scotoma (Scotoma, Pl. Scotomata) - a small area within the visual field in which vision is weakened or completely absent; This area is surrounded on all sides by areas of normal vision. All people have a so-called blind spot in the field of vision of each eye - a small area of ​​the retina occupied by the optic disc that does not perceive light. Similar islands of complete loss of vision in other parts of the visual field are called absolute scotomas. Relative scotoma is a small spot in which vision is significantly reduced, but still continues to persist.

**Introduction:**

The human eye is an amazing organ that is capable of perceiving a huge amount of information about the world around us. But sometimes there are areas in our field of vision that we cannot see because our eye cannot accurately capture the image in that area. Such areas are called "scotoma"

**Scotoma (plural - Scotomata)** is a small area of ​​the visual field where vision is either weakened or completely absent. Such an area is surrounded on both sides by a person’s normal field of vision. The retina of the eye needs to be stimulated by light so that the neurons responsible for vision can fire and enable us to see things in the world around us. If the nerve fibers do not receive enough light, they “turn off” and the image does not enter the visual cortex of the brain. Therefore, **in the center of the fundus of the eye there is a blind spot that does not perceive light**. Every person has such an area in their field of vision. This is an important piece of neuroanatomy that you need to understand to keep your eyes healthy.

In ophthalmology, absolute scotoma is an island of complete loss of vision. Relative **scotoma represents a zone where the sensitivity of the visual system is reduced, but visibility is still preserved**. It develops when the neural elements of the retina can still respond to the influence of a stimulus, but the cells of the underlying tissue have already lost the ability to see.