Gift of Seeing
"TO SEE" means to have vision. Broadly applied, "vision" is an active process that includes both sensing and interpreting rays of light passing through two eyeballs. This gift of multi-dimensional sight is one that most individuals possess, but often to varying degrees due to sensory and/or motor impairment. In this section we focus on using sight as an ability, i.e., on the act of seeing. As we will see, the full capability of seeing involves a large number of abilities. We need to understand those abilities, and in some cases make environmental accommodations (such as lighting) that maximize abilities.
In this section we develop a scientific and technical foundation on the act of seeing, to a level that can be covered in one lecture period, and is then available as a resource for the remainder of the course.
- Physics of light through the eye
- Relevant anatomy of the eye
- Correctable dysfunction and optical accommodations
- Neuromuscular Control Systems Related to Optics (accommodation,
pupil)
- Cells of the retina: distribution of rods and cones, sensitivity,
and spatial connectivity
- Brain structural connectivity: lateral geniculate body, visual
cortex
- Neurocontrol systems for pupil and acuity accommodation
- Perception of vision
- Mechanics of eyeball and eye muscles
- Neuromotor convergence to occulomotor neurons
- Classic eye movements
to sample environment
- fast tracking - saccadic eye movements
- slow/moderate target tracking - smooth pursuit eye movements
- near-far stereo focus: vergence eye movements & Herring's Law
- coordinated eye-head gaze: vestibular-ocular-reflex (VOR)
- Integrated use of these movements
- intrinsic nature of movements: intrinsic behaviors in persons
who are blind
- relative eye and head contributions
to stationary gaze
- tracking fast targets:
- scan paths: sensorimotor integration to actively (optimally?)
sample pictures, etc.
- eye movements as a "window to the brain" and to understanding
certain disease
- Technical building blocks for digital representation: pixels, intensity,
color
- Motivations behind digital filters: spatial and temporal considerations
- Types of video codecs for data compression
- Classic standards for video (e.g., JPEG, MPEG, H.263), and future
directions toward universal access and user preferences (e.g., MPEG-4,7)
- Pragmatic considerations for videoconferencing and multimedia applications
- Changes related to the aging process
- Common with many disabilities and often not recognized (e.g., cerebral palsy, schizophrenia)
- Common sensory impairments
- Common sensorimotor impairments affecting interpersonal
interaction
- Augmentative Technologies for the Partially Sighted
- Technologies that Replace Lost Function (e.g., for the Blind)
- Environmental
accommodation strategies
- Technical strategies for enhancing access
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