Abstract

Stoerig links blindsight to lesions between the primary visual cortex and the extravisual cortex. A parallel 'blindsight' occurs when input from the primary visual cortex is blocked during eye movements, convergence and blinks. At such moments (i) conscious vision based upon retinal input is blocked, (ii), however, like in blind sight retinal input can be used in motor tasks. The main difference to blindsight is that we are not only blind but cannot even with deliberate attention bring this blindness into awareness. We are doubly unaware: unaware of being blind and unaware that in spite of this that what we can see is created by the posterior parietal cortex substituting output (for that temporarily not coming from the primary visual cortex) for higher areas of the cerebral cortex