655-222 Visual Processing and Control

655-221.

This series of lectures will deal with the structure and function of the visual system, essential for a fundamental understanding of the rationale of many types of measurements and observations undertaken in evaluating visual function. The subject begins with the neural control of gaze and follows up with a full account of normal and abnormal eye movements. They deal with muscular mechanisms of the eye including the mechanics of translatory, saccadic and slow pursuit eye movements, Listing's Law, neural control of eye movements and binocular eye movements, Hering's Law, accommodation and the accommodative-convergence synkinesis and pupillary reactions. There will be lectures on the use of electrical recordings from the eye to help understand ocular function. The subject will also include a detailed account of colour processing that will form the basis for understanding of colour deficiencies.

A 3-hour written examination at the end of the semester (85%) and practical work (15%).

• E R Kandel, J H Schwartz, T M Jessell, Principles of Neural Science. 4th edn, McGraw-Hill, 2000.
• P L Kaufman, A Alms (eds), Adler's Physiology of the Eye, Clinical Applications. 10th edn, Mosby, 2003.