A blind spot or area of diminished vision within the visual field. It can be central (affecting detailed vision) or peripheral, and may indicate retinal disease, optic nerve problems, or brain lesions.
From Greek 'skotos' (darkness) + '-oma' (condition), meaning 'area of darkness.' The term was established in ophthalmology during the 19th century as visual field testing became more sophisticated.
Everyone actually has a natural scotoma - the blind spot where your optic nerve connects to your retina - but your brain is so clever it fills in the gap so you never notice it! Pathological scotomas can be incredibly specific, like the 'doughnut' scotoma in some retinal diseases where patients can see the center and edges but not the ring in between.
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