Vision is often assumed to be immediate and objective, yet extensive research in psychology, neuroscience, and optometry shows that perception is shaped by how the brain processes information, varying across individuals due to health, age, and experience.
Professor Schofield's research is informed by an unconventional transition from engineering to psychology, marking a shift from fixed, rule-based systems to the variability and complexity of human perception. This perspective underpins a focus on individual differences in vision.
Drawing on three case studies; visual stress, perceptual expertise, and age-related change, the lecture illustrates how people can experience the same visual environment in markedly different ways. These differences can lead to discomfort or distortion, enhanced perceptual abilities, or subtle declines that impact everyday functioning without conscious awareness.
Overall, the lecture emphasises that vision is a product of the brain, and no two individuals perceive the world in exactly the same way.
