Visual system architecture

Because of the complexity of visual system architecture, it is useful to identify a few organizing principles. One such principle is the segregation and recombination of signals at multiple stages of processing. Consider the visual image itself. A single visual scene gives rise to two distinct images, one in each eye. These two images are encoded by the two retinas and then combined into binocular representations in the brain. By first separating and then recombining the image, the visual system can extract useful information about the environment. In the following text, we describe the pathways involved in this process.