The blind spot syndrome: does it exist?

The absence of sensory adaptations in patients who have an esotropia of 12 to 18 degrees constitutes what has been described as the blind spot syndrome. Here, the physiological blind spot is said to provide the means of avoiding diplopia and confusion. The small size of the optic disc and variations of the angle of deviation at different positions of gaze and fixation distances make it implausible that the blind spot is the mechanism by which diplopia and confusion are relieved. Moreover, there is no known mechanism for continuous oculomotor readjustment with the purpose of locking a retinal image onto the optic nerve head. When tested under almost casual seeing conditions, these patients have an anomalous retinal correspondence. The blind spot syndrome, therefore, does not exist.