A cerebral basis for visual discomfort and visual stress

Hibbard, Paul B., Allen, Peter, Asher, Jordi M., Batey, Katherine, Burke, Beverley, Powell, Georgina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6793-0446, Price, Alice ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8577-7294 and Sumner, Petroc ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0536-0510 2026. A cerebral basis for visual discomfort and visual stress. Vision 10 (2) , 34. 10.3390/vision10020034

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Abstract

Visual discomfort or visual stress is an uncomfortable subjective experience that occurs in response to specific visual stimuli. It affects a large proportion of the population to various degrees, disproportionately impacting those with heightened sensory sensitivities, particularly neurodivergent individuals. We argue that this might stem from a mismatch between the statistical properties of visual stimuli in human-made environments and those in natural environments that the visual system can process efficiently. We discuss the inefficiency with which images with certain spatial, chromatic and temporal characteristics are processed by the visual system and propose a cerebral mechanism to account for the discomfort they induce. The mechanism offers a potential explanation for the large individual differences in susceptibility to discomfort. We highlight two avenues for intervention: (1) environmental modifications aimed at reducing the prevalence of visually stressing stimuli in urban settings, and (2) individual-level strategies, such as personalised optical treatments. Addressing these challenges requires an interdisciplinary effort bridging neuroscience, vision science, interior and urban design and typography to create visually accessible and inclusive environments.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Additional Information:	For full list of authors please see article webpage https://doi.org/10.3390/vision10020034 License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Start Date: 2026-06-11
Publisher:	MDPI
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 July 2026
Date of Acceptance:	1 June 2026
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2026 10:01
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187848

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