Of 230 patients with homonymous visual field defects of central origin, 3 had paracentral scotomas. All complained of severe photophobia and difficulty in reading. Two patients suspected that the scotoma had developed as a result of glare; the visual disorder resolved in these cases, but persisted in the third patient. With the exception of the visual field defect defined by perimetry, no neurological or neuropsychological deficit were found. The scotomas was attributed to generalized cerebral hypoxia in two cases but remained undefined in the third patient. A lesion in the striate region was suspected, but imaging procedures did not show any abnormalities.