Wide visual angle enhances social interaction in a realistic virtual reality environment under simulated artificial vision

Objective. Social interaction largely relies on visual perception. Yet artificial vision research has primarily focused on navigation and object recognition while assessment of social interaction remains scarce. This study investigates how the visual field size in simulated artificial vision impacts social perception in a virtual reality setting. Approach. We assessed the impact of visual field size in sighted participants experiencing simulated artificial vision in a medical practice across three social task categories: indoor identification (searching for an empty chair, identification of body orientation, body appearance, facial expressions, relationship type, role and interpretation of body language), locomotion (tracking and following a moving person), and outdoor observation (person recognition in a cluttered outdoor environment). Main Results. A wide range of social perception and locomotion tasks in structured indoor environments can be completed with a 45{degrees} field of view in simulated artificial vision. Compared to 20{degrees}, the broader visual field not only enhances accuracy but also enables faster task execution and a more precise assessment of ones own performance. Although the benefits of an expanded visual field are limited in cluttered environments, a 45{degrees} visual field represents a clear advantage in social contexts. Significance. These findings highlight the importance of an expanded visual field for artificial vision users in social settings, reinforcing its role in enhancing social cue processing and the ability to follow people. By integrating simulated artificial vision within an immersive virtual reality framework, this study bridges the gap between controlled experimental paradigms and real-world needs and challenges.