tunnel vision

[ tuhn-l vizh-uhn ]

noun

1. a drastically narrowed field of vision, as in looking through a tube, symptomatic of retinitis pigmentosa.
2. the tendency to look at things from only one point of view; prejudice or narrow-mindedness:

   All empires invariably produce a kind of tunnel vision.

3. a fixation on only one objective, course of action, etc.:

   These special interest groups operate with defiantly single-minded tunnel vision.

tunnel vision

noun

1. a condition in which peripheral vision is greatly restricted
2. narrowness of viewpoint resulting from concentration on a single idea, opinion, etc, to the exclusion of others

Other Words From

• tun·nel-vi·sioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tunnel vision¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Along with tribalism that encourages tunnel vision and an unwillingness to see or hear anything that doesn’t support the tribe’s position.

From Los Angeles Times

“The crowd is screaming but you’re not hearing it, your senses shut down, tunnel vision happens, and all you can think of is, don’t mess this up.”

From Los Angeles Times

Their convictions, he said, had been the result of “tunnel vision.”

From Seattle Times

He has to adopt tunnel vision, and only pay attention to the plan his team has developed.

From Los Angeles Times

Armstrong‘s defense attorneys had urged the jury to find reasonable doubt in what they called an inadequate and sloppy investigation. They accused investigators of “tunnel vision” in quickly identifying Armstrong as the suspect.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• narrow-mindedness

More About Tunnel Vision

What does tunnel vision mean?

Literally, tunnel vision is a term meaning that the edges of your vision are lost and only central focus remains, as if you were looking through a tunnel.

Figuratively, it is a lack of perspective caused by intense focus on one object, leading to neglect of your surroundings and responsibilities or being closed off to other viewpoints.

How do you pronounce tunnel vision?

[ tuhn-l vizh-uhn ]

Where does tunnel vision come from?

Tunnel vision emerges in the mid-1930s as a popular term for when automobile drivers lost vision out of the sides of their eyes (their peripheral vision).

Besides taxing the eyes when being too long on the road, a variety of other things can cause tunnel vision, including retinal injury, drugs and alcohol, emotional stress and panic attacks, and oxygen deprivation. Certain types of eyewear and headgear, such as diving masks or thick glasses, as well as tools like binoculars may also create tunnel vision, as they block out peripheral vision to focus the wearer’s vision in some way.

The figurative use of tunnel vision appears as early as the mid-1960s.

This tunnel vision is often an unconscious condition—people who have tunnel vision are so focused on something that they don’t realize they have tunnel vision. This can be both a strength and weakness. In combat, for instance, tunnel vision may help a soldier zoom in on their target or mission, but it also exposes them to attacks on their blind spots.

In contemporary culture, tunnel vision is frequently used as a criticism against people or organizations who lose sight of the big picture. This could be a student, whose tunnel vision on getting straight As could lead to neglect of other relationships. It could also be the U.S. population for too easily getting sucked into a single issue while overlooking potentially more important topics.

Tunnel vision is also a common enough expression to inspire pop culture, such as the 1976 comedy film Tunnel Vision, starring Chevy Chase and John Candy.

There are two notable songs called Tunnel Vision. One is by Justin Timberlake in 2013, who has his sights set on one girl (“I got that tunnel vision for you”). Another, from 2017, is by Kodak Black, who raps about keeping a good head on his shoulders (“My mama told me: ‘Boy, make good decisions!’ / Right now I gotta keep a tunnel vision”).

How is tunnel vision used in real life?

The problem with tunnel vision is that it prevents a wider understanding of a subject.

People are getting tunnel vision about Roe v. Wade. Even if this far right justice declines to hear a case that directly challenges Roe, they can and will still gut the spirit of the law.

— لی لی (@LilyBolourian) July 12, 2018

Although tunnel vision is often criticized as being narrow-minded or causing an unhealthy obsession, it can also be viewed as a positive, since it results in effective work and research, like being in the zone.

Develop tunnel vision. No matter what's going on around you…Be selectively focused on your goals.

— Rhay. (@Rhay1991) July 5, 2018

Due to how it limits actual vision, the literal tunnel vision can be very disorienting and may lead to accident or injury.

More examples of tunnel vision:

“Mr Trump’s (and his advisers’) tunnel vision on trade could also greatly harm American corporate performance abroad, if or when tariff retaliation leads to exclusion of American capital investment and barriers to subsidiaries’ expansion.”
—Luis Suarez-Villa, Financial Times, July, 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.