Coordinating one hand with two eyes: optimizing for field of view in a pointing task

We previously found that subjects switched 'ocular dominance' as a function of horizontal gaze direction in a reaching task [Vision Res. 41 (14) (2001) 1743]. Here we extend these findings to show that when subjects pointed to targets across the horizontal binocular field, they aligned the fingertip with a vertical plane located between the eyes and the target. This eye-target plane gradually shifted from aligning with the left eye (leftward targets) to between the two eyes (intermediate targets) to the right eye (rightward targets). We suggest that this occurs to optimize eye-hand alignment towards the eye with the best overall field of view.