V666 Binocular Function

Indiana University School of Optometry

V666 Physiological Optics IV
Binocular Function

Course Description
Binocular sensory mechanisms of vision. Summary of the geometry of 3-dimensional space and stereo vision, underlying neuroanatomy and physiology of binocular vision, prerequisites for normal stereopsis, and commonly encountered anomalies of binocular vision.

Class schedule: March 29 through until April 29, 2005.

Humans, and some other animals, have two eyes with almost completely overlapping visual fields. This feature of the human visual system provides some interesting challenges and opportunities for human vision that are unavailable to most animals. During this course we will examine the anatomical, physiological, psychophysical and oculomotor characteristics of binocularity in humans.

Grades will be determined by final score. Final exam is scheduled for April 29, 10.15.

Labs will be replaced this year by class demonstrations, and you will be REQUIRED to bring some clinical supplies for these demonstration days.

Suggested Reading

Foundations of binocular vision, a clinical perspective, by Steinmean, Steinman and Garzia, McGraw Hill, 2000.

Lecture Sequence

Lecture 1: Monocular and binocular visual fields. Why don't rabbits always see double? A review of the anatomy and physiology of binocularity.

Lecture 2: Visual direction, corresponding points, retinal correspondence, ARC, Fixation disparity, tropias and phorias.

Lecture 3: Eye Misalignment: Strabismus, Phorias, Fixation Disparity.

Lecture 4: Binocular Summation, rivalry, suppression, and sensory fusion. Why do we see better with two eyes? Panum's Fusional Area, Horopter, Vieth-Muller circle.

Lecture 5: Stereopsis: How do we extract the third dimension from two flat images. Relative and absolute horizontal disparity. The necessary requirements for stereopsis. Who will fail the stereo test? Chromostereopsis. Stereograms. Autosteresograms ("magic eye")

Lecture 6: Aniseikonia, tilting plane illusion, inter ocular differences in cylinder lenses. Knapp's law.

Lecture 7: Development of vision and of functional binocularity. What's so critical about the critical period?

Lecture 8: Sensory-motor abnormalities of binocular vision. Amblyopia. Treating amblyopia: You name it, its been tried (and you will not believe what people have tried), but do any of the methods work?

As practicing optometrists, you will find those with abnormalities of the human binocular visual system to be the most challenging patients. Before learning about therapy and patient care, you must understand the underlying principles by which normal binocular vision provides an asset and not a liability to human vision.

	URL: http://www.opt.indiana.edu/v666/index.htm Revised: March 22, 2005
	IU Optometry home page: http://www.opt.indiana.edu/ Comments (content): Dr. Arthur Bradley at bradley@indiana.edu Comments: Web Administrator Page design and coding: Terri Greene Copyright © 2005, The Trustees of Indiana University