Autism and vision

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Probably this has alredy been discussed as the article that I found is from 2008, but it says, that autistic people can see almost as clearly as birds of prey.
Here is the link: http://www.news.de/gesellschaft/722848666/autisten-sehen-scharf-wie-greifvoegel/1/

But the article is in German, thats why I give an abstract:

Abstract:

Autistic people can almost look as sharp as a hawk.
This is the amazing result of vision screenings at the University of Cambridge, as reported by the Hamburg-based magazine Geo in its December issue.
In the experiment, 15 test persons could detect details in a distance of 20 meters, which a person with a normal vision can distinguish up until 7 meters. Thus autistic people can look almost as good as raptors, who can already perceive details from a 20 meter distance, what people only can do from 6 meters.
Researchers have long known about the special interest in details of people with autism, which is also associated with an increased sensitivity of the senses.
New in the findings is the degree of deviation - and that it is based not only on a higher sensitivity, but also on physical qualities.


I have a good eyesight (I mean, I don't need to wear glasses)and I often get overloaded from too many details and motions, especially outside. Should move away from this overcrowded city

What is your opinion on this article?
How do you experience your vision?

Edit: In this context, is it better to say "vision" or "eyesight"?

I used to have really good vision.

Then I got old and now I need reading glasses.

I have poor vision, but with contacts/glasses I notice many details others usually do not.

I have the eyes of a bird, the nose of a dog and the ears of bat

Aspies make great hunters, and difficult prey, and star quarter backs

You can spot a mouse from 1000 feet? I somehow doubt any human can see as well as a bird. It's not just matter of neural processing. Our eyes are just built differently.

I know that whenever I've had my vision tested they told me that they couldn't actually tell me what my vision was because I exceeded the test (which depending on the test had gone to either 20/15 or 20/12.5).

I also know my eyes are shaped slightly differently than most people's eyes. The nerves in my eyes are incredibly shallow to the point where not every eye doctor can see the pulse in my eye that they're supposed to easily be able to see. They would have given me more eye tests if they weren't guessing that I had 20/10 vision.

I'd be curious to know what my vision actually is, but that requires testing beyond what eye doctors tend to have.

I'm short-sighted and use glasses.

No, I can't!

I just found this article and wondered, if it can be related to visual sensory issues. Therefore I am interested how others with autism experience their vision.

Thank you all for the replies.



What does 20/15, 20/12.5, 20/10 mean?
But it seems, that you have a good vision, do I get it right?
Do you get visual overloads?

My vision is awful. My hearing is amazing tho.

20/20 is description of visual acuity measured in feet that is equivalent to 6/6 if measured in meters. It tends to be described as "this person can see at 20 feet what the normal person can see at 20 feet", 20/10 is "this person can see at 20 feet what the normal person can see at 10 feet".

I do get visual overloads, though primarily from bright lights and blinking lights. The flashing of florescent light bulbs is terrible, headlights cause me to overload so easily that I doubt I'll ever be able to drive. Busy patterns are more likely to distract me that overload me, as I try to figure every last detail out. I'm not sure whether crowds bother me visually because I'll avoid them for other reasons, and all of my senses are hypersensitive.

I've always thought that my good eyesight and my visual sensitivities were strongly connected.

My eyesight sucks, but I can feel very slight touches and my hearing is really good.

I have 3 vision deficiencies.

1: congenital defect of the cornea, a misshapen lens (can't wear contacts)
2: myopia, elongation of the eyeball, causing missed focal point (progressive degeneration from age 8 onwards)
3: vertical and horizontal astigmatisms (progressive degeneration from age 12 onwards)

So, I was born into a world that looked like a Monet painting. Getting spectacles at age 7, was shocking. Things looked fake, having too much detail.

-

But I believe the point they were trying to convey in the German article was not so much one of having superior developed eyes anatomically, so much as one of noticing details. "Taking closer notice" rather than "having sharper focusing eyes."

Just as the recently blind develop "enhanced" senses of touch and hearing.

I have terrible eye sight. I also have a astigmatism in my eyes. I'd be blind without glasses.

Thank you for your explanation!



In the last sentence they give a kind of suggestion: "New in the findings is the degree of deviation - and that it is based not only on a higher sensitivity, but also on physical qualities.", but I don't think either that it's anatomically meant. Also the answers here show that everyone is different. But still there is this somehow increased sensivity of senses in all of us, I guess. But what you, Burnbridge, write "Just as the recently blind develop "enhanced" senses of touch and hearing.", then I wonder if the senses get "enhanced" because of "missing" other abilities [like not being able to "read" the world in a comforting way develops increased sensitivity, because one feels more "in danger"].

I'm very nearsighted, but I am good at noticing small yet important details quickly, as long as I'm wearing vision correction so everything isn't bleary.

This.



Also this. If things are close enough I notice details without glasses.