Unequal alternating monocular deprivation causes asymmetric visual fields in cats.

Kittens were reared so that each eye received normal patterned vision on alternate days. If the eyes received equal periods of stimulation, the visual fields were normal. If one eye received much more experience than the other, the field of the less experienced eye was restricted to the temporal hemifield. This change, which differs from that observed when one or both eyes are deprived continuously of patterned input, suggests that an imbalance in the duration of stimulation can influence the outcome of the normal competitive interaction between pathways from the two eyes and can cause a selective suppression of a portion of the input from the less experienced eye. This suppression may involve the ipsilateral retino-geniculo-cortical pathways or it may involve the entire cortical pathway from the less experienced eye, leaving the colliculus to control responses to visual targets.