What visual impairment is characterized by the loss of vision in half the visual field in both eyes?

The visual impairment characterized by the loss of vision in half the visual field in both eyes is known as homonymous hemianopsia. This condition typically arises from damage to the visual pathways in the brain, most commonly due to stroke, trauma, or tumors affecting the occipital lobe or the optic tracts. In homonymous hemianopsia, the vision loss occurs on the same side of the visual field in both eyes; for example, loss of vision in the right half of the visual field would affect both the right eye and left eye simultaneously.

In contrast, the other options refer to different types of visual impairments. Diplopia, or double vision, results from misalignment of the eyes and does not specifically involve a loss of vision in half of the visual field. Strabismus refers to a condition where the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object, affecting eye coordination but not necessarily causing a specific loss of half of the visual field. Scotoma is a localized area of visual impairment within the visual field, often presenting as blind spots rather than a loss of vision across one half of both eyes. Thus, homonymous hemianopsia uniquely describes the condition of losing half of the visual field in