City University researcher dispels common colour vision ‘misconception’

New research from City University London has challenged what author Professor Christopher Tyler said was a widespread misconception among vision scientists and the general population that peripheral colour vision is weak or non-existent.

The university said the findings of the study could have important implications for everyday use of colour in products and devices, including the design of traffic lights, signage and visual displays.

The research, published in the journal i-Perception, used multicoloured disks to show that the photoreceptors responsible for colour vision were present in a high enough density in all areas of the eye to enable vivid peripheral colour perception. As a result, the research showed that colour vision was not just restricted to the fovea in the centre of the eye, as is widely believed.