Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Blindsight is the ability to respond to visual information without consciously seeing it. This often occurs in people who have experienced damage to the primary visual cortex.
Related terms
Visual Agnosia: This is a condition where a person can see objects but cannot recognize or understand what they are, somewhat similar to blindsight in that there's a disconnect between vision and conscious understanding.
Prosopagnosia: Also known as face blindness, this is an inability to recognize familiar faces, even though the ability to recognize objects may be intact.
Split-brain Phenomenon: This refers to the result when the corpus callosum connecting the two hemispheres of the brain is severed. It can lead to phenomena similar to blindsight, where one side of the brain processes information without conscious awareness from the other side.