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Vieth-Müller horopter circle
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Diagram illustrating the Vieth-Muller horopter circle, with two eyes at the bottom, a large circle passing through both eyes and the fixation point F, and lines showing how points on the circle project to corresponding spots on each retina.
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Vieth-Müller horopter circle

psychology
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Diagram illustrating the Vieth-Muller horopter circle, with two eyes at the bottom, a large circle passing through both eyes and the fixation point F, and lines showing how points on the circle project to corresponding spots on each retina.
Vieth-Müller circle The Vieth-Müller circle. F is the fixation point. If corresponding points are symmetrically distributed about the foveas, the points in space in the fixation plane, whose images fall on the corresponding points, lie on the circle. The images of the point X lie on disparate points.

The Vieth-Müller circle is a concept in psychology related to binocular vision and the perception of depth. It represents the theoretical projection of corresponding points on the two retinas, which are points that, when stimulated, are perceived as a single point in space. This circle helps explain how we see single images and perceive three-dimensional space.

When we look at an object, our two eyes receive slightly different images. The brain fuses these images, and the degree of difference, or disparity, between them allows us to perceive depth. Points falling on corresponding retinal points are seen as single, while points falling on non-corresponding (disparate) points can still be fused by the brain within a certain range, creating the impression of depth. The Vieth-Müller circle is an approximation of the set of points that would theoretically be seen as single. Deviations from this theoretical circle occur in real-world vision, but the underlying principle of retinal disparity is key to stereoscopic vision.1

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. human eye - Binocular vision
  2. human eye - Visuopsychic or circumstriate areas

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