blikveld

Blikveld, literally “view field,” is a Dutch term for the region of space that a person can see at a given moment, with their eyes fixed or with limited movement. In everyday speech it denotes the amount of visual information that is within a person’s sight. In medical contexts, blikveld refers specifically to the visual field—the total area visible when one looks straight ahead.

Assessment of the blikveld is called perimetry or visual-field testing. Methods range from manual confrontation tests, where a clinician detects the patient’s awareness of lights or shapes in different directions, to automated devices such as the Humphrey or Goldmann perimeter. These tests map sensitivity across the field and can identify defects such as scotomas. Normal binocular vision covers roughly 180 degrees horizontally, with some vertical extent; individual values vary with age, refractive status, and testing conditions.

Pathologies that alter the blikveld include glaucoma, which commonly reduces peripheral vision; neurological events such as stroke or brain tumors can cause hemianopia or quadrantanopia; retinal diseases and optic neuropathies can also narrow the field. Accurate measurement is important for diagnosis, monitoring progression, and guiding treatment decisions.

In everyday language, blikveld can also describe what a person notices in peripheral vision at a given moment, or an observer’s area of attention. The term reflects the Dutch focus on what is perceivable at the eye’s location and orientation.