Elsevier

Vision Research

Volume 3, Issues 9–10, September–October 1963, Pages 417-429
Vision Research

Evidence for macular pigmentation from colour matching data

https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6989(63)90093-2Get rights and content

Abstract

Measurements of the chromaticities of two white stimuli have been made for four observers. From changes in chromaticity which occur as the field is moved from the fovea, evidence for the existence of a macular pigment in the living eye has been obtained.

From a further series of colour matches, in which the matching stimuli were varied and the comparison field was provided by a spectral band, the variation of optical density of the pigment with respect to wavelength was deduced. Calculations of the chromaticity of the white stimuli based on this optical density curve were found to be in good agreement with the experimentally observed results. The variation in concentration or thickness of the pigment across the fovea has been indicated.

Résumé

On mesure sur quatre observateurs les chromaticités de deux stimuli blancs. Le pigment maculaire est mis en évidence dans l'œil vivant par les changements de chromaticité qui se produisent quand le champ sort de la fovea.

Avec de nouvelle séries d'égalisations colorées avec des stimuli variés et un champ de comparaison obtenu par une bande spectrale, on déduit la variation de la densité optique du pigment en fonction de la longeur d'onde. On trouve un bon accord entre les calculs de chromaticité des stimuli blancs fondés sur cette courbe de densité optique et les résultats expérimentaux observés. On obtient des indications sur la variation en concentration ou en épaisseur du pigment à travers la fovea.

Zusammenfassung

An drei Beobachtern wurde die Farbigkeit zweier weisser Reize gemessen. Aus den Anderungen der Farbigkeit, die bei der Bewegung des Reizfeldes von der Netzhautgrube weg auftreten, wurde auf ein Maculapigment im lebenden Auge geschlossen.

Aus einer weiteren Reihe von Farbtesten, bei denen die Reize variiert und das Vergleichsfeld von einer Spektrallinie beleuchtet wurde, wurde die Variation der optischen Dichte des Pigments mit der Wellenlänge abgeleitet. Berechnungen der Farbigkeit weisser Reize, die auf dieser optischen Spektralkurve beruhten, zeigten eine gute Ubereinstimmung mit den experimentell beobachteten Ergebnissen. Auf die Variation der Konzentration oder Dichte des Pigments über die Fovea wird hingewiesen.

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