The observer will generally see only those meteors appearing at or near his central vision, particularly the fainter ones. Even a group of observers will record only a small fraction of the meteors appearing. There are a few individuals with unusual perception for meteors reporting three to five times the usual rate. Such observers see meteors over their entire field of view but would not be seeing many of them well. Two observers working together will usually obtain different rates, even if they watch the same area of sky.
Perception varies from one individual to the next.
The ability to see very faint stars does not necessarily imply that high meteor rates follow. The eyes respond differently and rather poorly to fleeting phenomena. Always present to some extent are flashes that may or may not be meteors. Some observers are influenced more thon others by this problem. In each case one must decide whether he did see a meteor.