horopter

The horopter is a concept in psychology related to binocular vision and the perception of depth. It is defined as the outward projection of pairs of corresponding points on the two retinas. Theoretically, all points on the horopter circle will be seen as single. When points fall on noncorresponding, or disparate, points on the retinas, they can still be fused by the brain, creating the impression of depth. This fusion is possible within Panum's fusional area, which is the region on one retina that can fuse with a single point on the other retina. The difference in the images received by each eye, known as binocular parallax, is crucial for stereoscopic vision. The term "heteropteran" refers to a suborder of insects, commonly known as true bugs, and is unrelated to the horopter.12