The invention relates to a method for characterizing a visual system of a subject using measures of the sensitivity to contrast, the visual system comprising visual signal processing elements each having an impact on the sensitivity to contrast, wherein a visual test where visual patterns having different spatiotemporal frequencies and with varying luminance levels and with varying levels of visual degradation of the visual patterns are shown to a subject to measure the sensitivity to contrast of said subject, is performed, wherein a predetermined response model of a visual system is preestablished on the basis of a determination of the visual signal processing element that predominantly limits the sensitivity to contrast for each value of luminance and spatiotemporal frequency, said predetermined response model relating the visual signal processing elements predominantly limiting the sensitivity to contrast to the luminances and to the spatiotemporal frequencies, wherein at least one of the visual signal processing elements is selected in order to be investigated, wherein at least one visual test is performed on the visual system of the subject, said visual test being optimized according to said at least one selected visual signal processing element, during the optimized visual test, the variations of the luminance levels and of spatiotemporal frequencies being limited within a range of luminance and a range of spatiotemporal frequency where the predetermined response model locates the visual signal processing element as predominant in limiting the sensitivity to contrast.
