Outreach Development

The visual cortex is the part of the brain that receives and processes visual information from the retinas. It is located in the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex, which is on the back of the head. There are five regions of the visual cortex ,V1-V5. V1 is the primary visual cortex, which is the first area of the visual cortex that receives visual information. It is also the area of the visual cortex that we know the most about.

Astigmatism is a refractive error where images do not project clearly on the retina. This is due to an irregularly shaped cornea or lens. Most commonly, it occurs when the cornea takes on a more conical shape, as opposed to a spherical shape. Astigmatisms tend to occur with other refractive errors like nearsightedness and farsightedness. The most common symptoms are blurry vision, headaches, and eye discomfort. 

Thank you to all that came to the Tucson Festival of Books. We loved seeing the hundreds of faces stop by at our booth to learn about the eyes. It was especially exciting to be back in person after the 2 year break and we hope to see you all again next year!

Click this link to see what we did at the Tucson Festival of Books https://fb.watch/bYmUA1dJDg/

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a condition that explains the changes in a child that may occur if the mother drinks a certain amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy can severely impact a fetus because the fetus does not have fully developed mechanisms for processing alcohol in the body as an adult, and the fetus' ability to deliver oxygen can be disrupted. Alcohol can pass through the blood of the mother into circulation in the fetus, causing impaired development of the nervous system, and vital organs such as the heart and kidneys. 

 Humans have 3 types of cone cells (green, blue, and red) and they work together to help us see hundreds of colors. Cats and dogs are sometimes thought to see the world in black and white, but this is a misconception. Cats also have green, blue, and red cones, but they can’t see in great detail or vivid colors. They are also said to have a difficult time seeing reds and pinks. They have a low concentration of cone receptors, but a high amount of rod receptors so they are able to see well in the dark.

Tonometry is a test done to measure the pressure inside the eye. It is important to measure this regularly as high intraocular pressure can indicate a high risk of glaucoma, which can lead to blindness. Due to this, tonometry is generally done at every appointment you make with your eye doctor.

1. Visual Acuity Test: 

-Used to determine the smallest letters you can read from 20ft away with one eye covered 

-The Snellen chart is used

2. Visual Refraction Eye Exam 

-used to understand how light waves are bent when they pass through the cornea and lens 

Did you know that in humans the retina does not regenerate? However in animals like fish and frogs, they can regenerate lost retinal cells.

The lens is a structure in the eye in which light passes through. The lens is a transparent, crystalline, protein filled portion of the eye. The job of the lens is to change shape in order to focus the light rays entering the eye onto the retina, to create a clear and focused image. 

The image above shows the overall structure of the eye, including the lens.