Raphail Ann-Marie, Bach Emily C, Hallock Robert M
Neuroscience Department, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866;
Psychology Department, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2014 Mar 15;12(2):A150-3. eCollection 2014 Spring.
An understanding of the visual system is a fundamental aspect of many neuroscience and psychology courses. These classes often cover a variety of visual diseases that are correlated with the anatomy of the visual system, e.g., cataracts are caused by a clouding of the lens. Here, we describe an easy way to modify standard laboratory glasses/goggles to simulate the various perceptual deficits that accompany vision disorders such as astigmatism, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, optic neuritis, posterior vitreous detachment, and retinitis pigmentosa. For example, when teaching about cataracts, students can put on glasses that mimic how severe cataracts affect one's vision. Using the glasses will allow students to draw connections between the disorder, its perceptual deficits, and the underlying anatomy. We also discuss floaters in the eye and provide an easy method to allow students to detect their own floaters. Together, these demonstrations make for a more dynamic and interactive class on the visual system that will better link diseases of the eye to anatomy and perception, and allow undergraduate students to develop a better understanding of the visual system as a whole.
对视觉系统的理解是许多神经科学和心理学课程的基本内容。这些课程通常涵盖各种与视觉系统解剖结构相关的视觉疾病，例如，白内障是由晶状体混浊引起的。在这里，我们描述一种简单的方法来改装标准实验室眼镜/护目镜，以模拟诸如散光、白内障、糖尿病性视网膜病变、青光眼、视神经炎、玻璃体后脱离和视网膜色素变性等视力障碍所伴随的各种感知缺陷。例如，在讲授白内障时，学生可以戴上模仿严重白内障如何影响视力的眼镜。使用这些眼镜将使学生能够在疾病、其感知缺陷和潜在解剖结构之间建立联系。我们还讨论了眼睛中的飞蚊症，并提供了一种让学生检测自己飞蚊症的简单方法。总之，这些演示使关于视觉系统的课程更加生动和互动，将眼部疾病与解剖结构和感知更好地联系起来，并使本科生对整个视觉系统有更好的理解。
