Dark Adaptation in Neurotic Patients

Abstract

Several studies have been undertaken in which the “dark vision” of normal and neurotic groups has been compared (see (5) for references). As a result of these researches it appears that neurotic patients tend to have inferior performances to normal subjects on tests of “dark vision”. The term “dark vision” is, however, a very general one, covering all aspects of visual functioning at brightness levels below about 0 · 01 candle per square foot (13). Clearly we need to know more preciselywhichaspects of dark vision are impaired in neurotics, theextentof the impairment, theconditionsunder which it occurs, etc., if we are to go beyond fairly crude descriptive statements about differences between normal and neurotic groups to an understanding of the processes involved.