blindspots

Blind spots are gaps in perception or awareness that can occur in vision, thinking, or organization. They describe areas where information is missing or not processed, leading to incomplete judgments. The term is used across disciplines—from ophthalmology and psychology to business and safety—to explain why people, systems, or machines fail to notice certain details.

In vision, the best known blind spot is the physiological optic disc, where the retina has no photoreceptors; the brain normally fills in the missing information. Practically, driving and other perceptual tasks involve additional blind spots created by head position, gaze direction, and the limits of the eye's field of view. Awareness, scanning, and sensors help mitigate these effects.

Cognitive blind spots involve biases, heuristics, and gaps in knowledge that shape judgments without conscious awareness. Common examples include confirmation bias, overconfidence, and neglect of statistics. Knowledge blind spots arise from incomplete training, limited experience, or sparse information, resulting in unrecognized limits in expertise.

Social and organizational blind spots reflect unexamined norms or processes that obscure risks or inequities. Examples include cultural bias, groupthink, and policy gaps that disadvantage certain groups. Reducing blind spots relies on deliberate practices such as seeking diverse information, challenging assumptions, using checklists, inviting external review, and leveraging technology to provide additional input.

Recognizing blind spots is an ongoing process that benefits from education, feedback, and a culture that encourages questioning and verification.