A patient with incipient cataracts complains of a marked reduction in vision that interferes with her daily activities. When we measure visual acuity, however, little or no reduction is found. How do we explain the apparent lack of consistency between the patient’s symptoms and her near-normal acuity? On the basis of our knowledge of visual perception, how do we best treat this patient?
Eye care professionals routinely diagnose and treat conditions that profoundly affect visual perception. But how well do ophthalmic clinicians understand the physiology of visual perception and its application to clinical practice? My experience tells me that patient care would benefit from greater utilization of the rich body of knowledge developed in recent decades.
Although there are several fine textbooks that address vision and its physiological basis, none are written for the eye care professional. This text covers those essentials of monocular visual perception on which successful clinical practice is predicated, with a strong emphasis on physiologically based models. A patient may present with a sensory/perceptual complaint, but the precipitating condition affects the structures of the visual system. Clinically useful models of visual perception link perception with anatomy and physiology.
In addition to providing a basic science background, each chapter discusses the clinical relevance and application of the material. Clinical information is presented in such a manner that beginning clinicians and other readers (e.g., graduate students and experimental psychologists) will benefit from the discussions. As in prior editions, an effort has been made to present complex and sophisticated concepts in a manner that is concise, comprehensible, and clinically relevant, while maintaining an appropriate degree of scientific rigor.
The fourth edition has been expanded to include certain of the myriad advances in visual perception that have occurred in recent years. Material of clinical interest is highlighted throughout the book. Figures have been updated and colorized, and color photographs, many showing clinical conditions, have been added. The book now includes more than 250 colored diagrams and photographs.
Self-assessment questions are presented at the conclusion of many chapters, with answers given at the end of the book. These questions are intended to develop and reinforce key concepts. This new edition also includes 201 multiple-choice questions, divided into three practice examinations. The questions are of varying levels of difficulty and should prove useful to the reader for determining his or her mastery of the material. Answers to these questions are also provided.
Key Features
- New full-color presentation with 250 illustrations, including color vision tests and fundus photographs.
- 3 practice exams (more than 200 multiple-choice questions).
- Self-assessment questions at the end of each chapter.
- Current references from leaders in each subfield.
- 1. Experimental Approaches
- 2. Introductory Concepts
- 3. The Duplex Retina
- 4. Photometry
- 5. Color Vision
- 6. Anomalies of Color Vision
- 7. Spatial Vision
- 8. Temporal Aspects of Vision
- 9. Motion Perception
- 10. Depth Perception
- 11. Psychophysical Methodology
- 12. Functional Retinal Physiology
- 13. Parallel Processing
- 14. Striate Cortex
- 15. Information Streams and Extrastriate Processing
- 16. Gross Electrical Potentials
- 17. Development and Maturation of Vision
- Answers to Self-Assessment Questions
- Practice Exams 1, 2, 3
- Answers to Practice Exams
- References
About the Author
- Steven H. Schwartz, O.D., Ph.D. studied optics at the School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley and has taught optics in both the basic curriculum and special Board review courses. He has co-chaired the Examination Development Commission, National Board of Examiners in Optometry. Dr. Schwartz presently teaches at the SUNY State College of Optometry.
Book Review
Although there are many books dealing with aspects of visual science in great depth, there are few books written on the topic with a view to the clinical importance of the topic for those in the eye and vision care professions. In this book, Dr. Steven Schwartz has, I believe, succeeded in covering a broad range of subjects in visual science and in bringing home the clinical relevance of each section to the reader.
No single volume can address all of visual science; however, Visual Perception: A Clinical Orientation covers an extraordinarily broad range of clinically important topics, including color vision and its defects, spatial vision, temporal aspects of vision, psychophysics, physiology, and development and aging. The fourth edition is a real advance. All the figures are now in stunning color, and there is a host of new images that are clinical in nature (including, for example, color vision tests, fundus photographs, etc.). Each chapter has been revised to keep up with advances in the basic sciences, while increasing the clinical orientation. In certain respects, the revised Chapter 15, with its discussion of higher level processing and neurology, represents the largest thematic change from the original text. And throughout, the linkage between basic psychophysics and clinical practice has been strengthened.
Dr. Schwartz has a keen understanding of both the fundamental aspects of vision and their clinical implications, and his unique approach, which brings the science and its applications together, will make this book a very popular one in teaching visual science to optometry students.
Dr. Schwartz has a real skill for explaining difficult concepts in very simple (but technically accurate) terms. Moreover, this book goes well beyond the basics, including information from anatomy to perception, and always highlights the clinical implications. Throughout the book, Dr. Schwartz manages to convey much of the excitement of important new developments, while providing the reader with suitable caution as to which aspects of the unfolding stories are still controversial.
Dr. Schwartz displays a real empathy for his readers. For example, in Chapter 5, “Color Vision,” after accurately describing the very difficult concepts related to the CIE system, Dr. Schwartz assures readers by telling them, “If you are having difficulty understanding this system, do not feel alone.” This is a nice touch, and Dr. Schwartz goes on to provide helpful suggestions for gaining deeper understanding.
The discussion questions (and the “hints”) are also likely to be helpful to both teachers of vision science and to the students using the book. And students (and teachers) will be pleased to note that the number of multiple-choice questions in the three practice examinations, which are intended to simulate the National Board of Examiners in Optometry examination, is now at 201.
In summary, this book represents a comprehensive text on visual science, providing fundamental concepts in an engaging and interesting style. This information does not exist in any other single volume, and the close links forged between the basic knowledge and the clinical applications make the book particularly appealing for optometric and ophthalmologic students, faculty, and researchers.
- By Dennis M. Levi, OD, PhD, University of California, Berkeley -
Although there are many books dealing with aspects of visual science in great depth, there are few books written on the topic with a view to the clinical importance of the topic for those in the eye and vision care professions. In this book, Dr. Steven Schwartz has, I believe, succeeded in covering a broad range of subjects in visual science and in bringing home the clinical relevance of each section to the reader.
No single volume can address all of visual science; however, Visual Perception: A Clinical Orientation covers an extraordinarily broad range of clinically important topics, including color vision and its defects, spatial vision, temporal aspects of vision, psychophysics, physiology, and development and aging. The fourth edition is a real advance. All the figures are now in stunning color, and there is a host of new images that are clinical in nature (including, for example, color vision tests, fundus photographs, etc.). Each chapter has been revised to keep up with advances in the basic sciences, while increasing the clinical orientation. In certain respects, the revised Chapter 15, with its discussion of higher level processing and neurology, represents the largest thematic change from the original text. And throughout, the linkage between basic psychophysics and clinical practice has been strengthened.
Dr. Schwartz has a keen understanding of both the fundamental aspects of vision and their clinical implications, and his unique approach, which brings the science and its applications together, will make this book a very popular one in teaching visual science to optometry students.
Dr. Schwartz has a real skill for explaining difficult concepts in very simple (but technically accurate) terms. Moreover, this book goes well beyond the basics, including information from anatomy to perception, and always highlights the clinical implications. Throughout the book, Dr. Schwartz manages to convey much of the excitement of important new developments, while providing the reader with suitable caution as to which aspects of the unfolding stories are still controversial.
Dr. Schwartz displays a real empathy for his readers. For example, in Chapter 5, “Color Vision,” after accurately describing the very difficult concepts related to the CIE system, Dr. Schwartz assures readers by telling them, “If you are having difficulty understanding this system, do not feel alone.” This is a nice touch, and Dr. Schwartz goes on to provide helpful suggestions for gaining deeper understanding.
The discussion questions (and the “hints”) are also likely to be helpful to both teachers of vision science and to the students using the book. And students (and teachers) will be pleased to note that the number of multiple-choice questions in the three practice examinations, which are intended to simulate the National Board of Examiners in Optometry examination, is now at 201.
In summary, this book represents a comprehensive text on visual science, providing fundamental concepts in an engaging and interesting style. This information does not exist in any other single volume, and the close links forged between the basic knowledge and the clinical applications make the book particularly appealing for optometric and ophthalmologic students, faculty, and researchers.
- By Dennis M. Levi, OD, PhD, University of California, Berkeley -
Product Details
- Hardcover: 488 pages
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Medical; 4 edition (November 20, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0071604618
- ISBN-13: 978-0071604611
- Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 1.1 inches
List Price: $83.95