Can the peripheral vision clear up or not

[Nini]

I've learned a lot from David's excellent description of the role and function of the peripheral vision;
But there is one sentence in the paragraph, which made me stumble a bit:

Don't watch your peripheral vision to see if it clears up as a result of your using your eyes better.

The question that came up was: "Can the peripheral vision clear up or not?"

Because its function is defined as:

your peripheral vision assumes its correct role in sensing the context of forms and background, movement, and (rougher) details in dim light.

So when it seems that the entire image is clearing up as a result of the correct focusing of the central vision - is this really the peripheral vision, which becomes clear or is it rather an 'illusion' created by our mind, built up with the help of single points seen clearly from the central vision? And the peripheral vision remains just as blurry as it is, but we don't recognize the blur, because our attention is properly focused on the clear center?

Maybe there is no need to discuss those details, because it concerns only something we are not supposed to do, but since this question has come up, I can't help turning it over in my mind...

[clarknight]

When the eyes, eye muscles relax, mind relaxed, eyes in correct shape and that automatic 'saccade' eye shifting returns; the central light ray will focus perfectly in the center of the fovea (basically center of the retina). Central-fixation is perfect. When this happens all other light rays focus correct; 'almost' central rays in the outer areas of the fovea and the macula near the exact central ray and peripheral rays in the inner and other areas of the retina; so yes the peripheral goes to maximum clarity because peripheral rays are also focusing correct. The central vision is always most clear due to the the many cones in the fovea but the eyes are in movement giving the appearance of all areas of the visual field being very clear. Central always the best but it moves to where you want to look.

[Nini]

Thanks for your explanation.
So, that means in a way, that both questions have to be answered with "yes":

"is this really the peripheral vision, which becomes clear or is it rather an 'illusion' created by our mind, built up with the help of single points seen clearly from the central vision? And the peripheral vision remains just as blurry as it is, but we don't recognize the blur, because our attention is properly focused on the clear center?"

Because the 'central part' of the peripheral vision will clear up:

'almost' central rays in the outer areas of the fovea and the macula near the exact central ray and peripheral rays in the inner and other areas of the retina; so yes the peripheral goes to maximum clarity because peripheral rays are also focusing correct.

whereas the clarity in the outer part is an 'illusion' due to the fact that:

the eyes are in movement giving the appearance of all areas of the visual field being very clear.

[clarknight]

Nini, good question. Here's the best I can figure it;

The brain functioning correct and the correct focus of all light rays; central and peripheral improve clarity of the central and peripheral field but; The peripheral can only improve to a certain level due to the peripheral area of the retina containing less cones and more rods. The inner peripheral area of the retina has more cones, less rods so thats why the inner area of the peripheral is clearer than the far outer areas. The macula, fovea have many cones, almost no rods and produce very clear fine detailed vision and bright color. Hold your hands up to the outer sides of the face, look straight ahead; When the hands are close inward toward the face they are in the inner peripheral. When moved outward, far away, they are in the outer peripheral and less clear. The rods detect movement; wiggle the fingers; you can still see the movement even though the hands have less clarity and color. When you turn and look directly at a hand; its immediately moved to the central field; its clear. The eyes move so easy, continual and as Bates says 'with a rapidity', you would not of even consciously? noticed (or thought of) the hand as 'being unclear' when it was in the peripheral if you were not doing this as a experiement. The brain must have a lot to do with these functions.

Thats the best I can do on this one.
More ideas, experiences would be interesting to read.