Video Link: https://vimeo.com/322260221

The picture of what we are looking at is computed in the occipital lobes and created by the mind.

Look at this picture of a dog and cat (below)

This picture has:

• Colour and contrast (lighter and darker parts) and
• Clarity (detail)

In future lessons we will look at how each of these are affected by CVI, but for now, looking at the picture, without the different colours and shades of colours, and without the fine detail, we would not be able to visually recognise what we are looking at.

So, the occipital lobes create the image, but this is only one part of our visual world.

Our visual world combines many different elements.

The occipital lobes do not on their own:

• Give the image movement, to match the movement of what you are looking at
• Enable you to reach for objects or move among them with accuracy
• Give the image attention. Visual attention is complicated and we are going to explain this in more detail later, but without it, it can be very hard to visually find things, and very difficult to stay focussed visually.
• Provide recognition of what the image is.

The occipital lobes compute the picture, like a photograph of what you are looking at.

Checklist

Before you move on to the next lesson, please check:

• You understand the difference between your inside world and the outside world.
• You understand that your visual world has many different elements to it.
• You know what your occipital lobes create in terms of your visual world.
• You know some of the other elements that are part of your visual world that are not created in your occipital lobes

Next lesson: Level 1c The Brain - Parietal Lobes