Plain English Meaning

A blind spot or blurry patch in your vision, surrounded by areas where you can still see normally.

Full Definition

A scotoma is a localized area of reduced or absent vision within an otherwise normal visual field. In the context of high-altitude flight and decompression sickness, scotomas can appear as blind spots or blurred patches caused by nitrogen bubbles affecting the central nervous system or the visual pathways.

Context Anchor

Seen in aeromedical discussions of altitude-related illness, including decompression sickness, when describing possible vision changes after exposure to reduced pressure.