&NA;The cerebral cortex in primates is believed to contain multiple visual maps with an orderly network of interconnections. These maps process inputs from parallel subcortical channels. The current challenge is to interpret the human evidence within such a framework. Relevant data come from the anatomical and behavioral study of patients with focal lesions of the occipital lobe and adjacent temporal and parietal regions and from cerebral activation studies using techniques such as positron‐emission topography and magnetic resonance imaging.Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 1993,4;VI:38‐47