what is eye scotoma?
May 1, 2012 By Rebecca Johnson Leave a Comment. A scotoma (Greek for darkness) is an area of diminished or absent retinal sensitivity. It is most commonly referred to in visual field test interpretations. A defect in which no light is seen in the affected area is referred to as an absolute scotoma. If the test shows that the patient cannot view the dimmest light presented during testing, but does respond to brighter lights, the defect is referred to as a relative scotoma. Following are descriptions of common scotoma types based on their location: 1  Central-vision decrease in the center vision.