Abstract

Rod-mediated 500 nm test spots were flashed in Maxwellian view at 5 deg eccentricity, both on steady 10.4 deg fields of intensities (I) from 0.00001 to 1.0 scotopic troland (sc td) and from 0.2 s to 1 s after extinguishing the field. On dim fields, thresholds of tiny ($5^{\prime }$) tests were proportional to $\surd \mathrm{I}$ (Rose–DeVries law), while thresholds after extinction fell within 0.6 s to the fully dark-adapted absolute threshold. Thresholds of large (1.3 deg) tests were proportional to I (Weber law) and extinction thresholds, to $\surd \mathrm{I}$. Conclusions: rod thresholds are elevated by photon-driven noise from dim fields that disappears at field extinction; large spot thresholds are additionally elevated by neural light adaptation proportional to $\surd \mathrm{I}$. At night, recovery from dimly lit fields is fast, not slow.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

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