Vision

Natia Kharati
BSU, 2024
Sight or vision
• … is the capability of the eye(s) to focus and detect images
of visible light on photoreceptors in the retina of each eye
that generates electrical nerve impulses for varying colors,
hues, and brightness.

• There are 2 types of photoreceptors: rods and cones.

• Rods are very sensitive to light, but do not distinguish

colors.

• Cones distinguish colors, but are less sensitive to dim light.

• The inability to see is called Blindness. Blindness may result

from damage to the eyeball, especially to the retina,
damage to the optic nerve that connects each eye to the
brain, and/or from stroke (infarcts in the brain). Temporary
Photoreceptors

Detect light
waves
What is “Vision”?
• The term “Vision” is not limited to only
the act of Seeing or Watching but it is a
Complex Process that involves Eyes &
Brain as well.

• Vision includes:
1. Ability of the Eyes to properly Take and
Send the picture to the Brain and
2. Immediate act of Processing and
Interpretation of the Brain about the
Importance
A large part of cerebrum is committed to
Vision
• Visual control of movement
• The perception of printed word
• The form of color of objects

The Optic nerve - part of CNS – million

fibers
How Does Vision Work?
• Vision is a Highly Complex, Finely Tuned,
Organized Process between Eyes and Brain.

• It is composed of the Optical System (eyes, eye

muscles, optic nerve) and the Perceptual
System (Brain).

• All these parts must be Intact and Properly

Functional for Perfect Vision to occur.

• The visual system serves the role of an

Information-Gathering and Motor-
Monitoring System.
How Does Vision Work? (2)
• Optical Components collect Visual Stimuli
and Sends them to the Brain, where they are
Identified, Classified, and Filed in Memory.

• The Brain builds a collection of Images through

which it Understands the World, and which are
then used for Formal Logical Reasoning.

• Based on the Brain's Processing of the

Information sent to it by the Eyes, the Brain
Sends Instructions to the body about how to
Move in order to Retrieve, Avoid, or Further
 Following Conditions are
required for Proper Vision:
• The Eyes must be in Alignment.
• The Pupil Size must be adjusted for Lighting
Conditions.
• The Lens must Adjust its Shape to the Environment
• The Transparent Parts of the Eye must be Clear
(Cornea & lens).
• The Retina must be Functional (i.e., the Photo-
Receptor Cells must be Working).
• The Optic Nerve must be Capable of Transmitting
the Image to the Visual Cortex (area of the Brain
responsible for Visual Processing).
ROLE OF VISION

• Vision is the Primary Sense upon which most

Traditional Education Strategies are based.

• These strategies must be Modified to reflect the

child's Visual & Auditory capabilities.

• In order to ensure a Normal Physical, Mental

and Emotional Growth, Early Intervention is
essential for both the Child and the Family.
 Visual Impairment
• Visual Impairment is any visual condition that
Impacts an Individual’s ability to Successfully
Complete the activities of everyday life.

• Visual Impairments including Blindness are

defined as the “Vision” that, even with correction,
Adversely affects a child’s Educational
Performance.
Visual Impairments includes
both
• Partial Sightedness and
• Complete Blindness.
Vision and Visual Disorders
Vision – CN II, III, IV, VI, V
• is composed of peripheral receptors in the retina,
central pathways and cortical centres.
• The control of ocular movement and pupillary
responses are closely integrated.
Diagnostic
Patients presenting with visual impairment
require a systematic examination, not only of

• vision, but also of the

• pupillary response,
• eye movements, and, unless the cause clearly
lies within the globe,
• a full neurological examination.
ASSESSING VISUAL
IMPAIRMENTS
• Severe Visual Impairments are more
easily identified in schools than Milder
Vision Losses.

• The warning signs of visual impairment

include Lack of Coordination in the eyes
or Excessive Eye Movement and Blinking.
Terms used to describe visual loss

More than 30 Specific Diseases and conditions are

associated with Visual Impairments.

• Amaurosis – partial or complete loss of sight

• Amblyopia – monocular deficit in vision occurs in the
presence of normal ocular structure
• Nyctalopia – for poor twilight or night vision and is
associated with: extreme myopia, cataractas, vitamin
A deficiency, retinitis pigmentosa, color blindness.
• Nystagmus - Involuntary Movement of the eye that
reduces vision.
Other group of symptoms
• Irritation;
• Redness;
• Photophobia;
• Pain;
• Diplopia;
• Strabismus;
• Changes in pupillary size;
• Drooping or closure the eyelids.
Problems with Vision may
be . . .
• Unilateral or Bilateral
• Sudden or Gradual
• Episodic or Enduring
 Causes related with Age
• In infancy - congenital defects, retinopathy of
prematurity, severe myopia, hypoplasia of the optic
nerve, optic pits, and coloboma
• In childhood and adolescence - nearsightedness
or myopia, and amblyopia (as a result of
strabismus), although a pigmentary retinopathy or
a retinal, optic nerve, or suprasellar tumor;
• In middle age - a progressive loss of
accommodation (presbyopia) is almost invariable.
• Later in life - cataracts, glaucoma, retinal
vascular occlusion and detachments, macular
degeneration, and tumor, unilateral or bilateral.
Episodic visual loss
Adolescence and young
Adulthood
adulthood

• Migraine • Carotid stenosis of

• Optic neuritis dissection
• Papilledema • Embolism to the retina
• Antiphospholipid antibody
• Intrinsic central retinal
syndrome and systematic
lupus erythematosus artery atherosclerotic
• Early tumor compression disease
of the optic nerve • Temporal arteritis
• Takayasu aortic arteritis (over 55)
• Viral neuro-retinitis • Glaucoma
• Idiopathic • Papilledema
Amblyopia
• The common name for Amblyopia is “Lazy Eye”.
It develops in early childhood and involves One
eye not working well with the Brain, resulting in
reduced vision in the affected eye.

• Amblyopia affects about Two to Three out of

every 100 Children.

• Myopia (Nearsightedness) and Hyperopia

(Farsightedness).
Myopia (Nearsightedness)
• It is the most common refractive error of the eye,
and it has become more prevalent in recent years.

• Cause is unknown, many Eye Experts feel it has

something to do with Eye Fatigue from Computer
Use and other close Vision Tasks, and possible
Genetic predisposition for Myopia.

• Symptoms: Squinting, Eye Strain and Headache.

Feeling Fatigued when Driving or Playing
Hyperopia
(Farsightedness ):
• Hyperopia is a Defective Vision condition in
which one can see distant objects Clearly, but
objects nearby may be Blurry. The degree of
the Farsightedness influences the Focusing
Ability of the eyes. It is usually inherited.

• Farsightedness occurs if Eyeball is Too Short

or the Cornea has Too Little Curvature, so
light entering the eye is not properly focused.
Hyperopia.
• In Hyperopia, Eye is Shorter than Normal,
Cornea is not Curved Enough, or the Lens sits
Farther back in the eye than it should Be.

• These differences cause a problem in the

Focusing Mechanism of the eyes.

• Symptoms In Hyperopia - It includes difficulty

in Concentrating and Maintaining a clear focus
on Near Objects, Eye Strain, Fatigue, Headaches
after close work, Aching or Burning Eyes, and
Irritability or Nervousness after Sustained
Concentration.
What does “Opia” mean?
Opia is a Combining Form, occurring in compound
words denoting a Condition of Sight or of the
Visual Organs
Treatment

• Glasses,

• Contact Lenses or by

• Surgery
Nystagmus
• Involuntary Movement of the eye that reduces
vision.

• Normally, Eye movement is from side to side, but

it can be Up and Down or Circular.

• The condition may be Hereditary and can result

in Severe Reduction in Vision.
“Eye Teaming”
• It is the ability of Both Eyes to Work Together.

• Each Eye sees slightly different image and Brain

Blends these two images into One Picture.

• This process of Brain is called Fusion.

• The ability to use both eyes as a “Team,” or a

Single Functioning Pair, is what allows our brain
to Merge the two separate pictures coming in
from each eye into a Single Image.
“Eye Teaming”
• It is a Visual Efficiency Skill that allows
Both eyes to work together in a Precise and
Coordinated way.

• Good Eye Teaming allows Sustained, Single, and

Comfortable Vision, and is the basis for Depth
Perception.
Glaucoma - Increased intraocular pressure (IOP)

• Degenerative disease in which there is loss of reti­nal

ganglia cells;
• Indeed, elevations in IOP due to injury or surgery can
cause glaucoma.
• Glaucoma is caused by poor drainage of the aqueous
humor through the filtration angle formed between the
iris and the cornea.
• Open-angle glaucoma, a chronic disease, which leads to
an increase in IOP.
• In some cases, this type of glaucoma is due to a genetic
defect.
• Closed-angle glaucoma results from a forward
ballooning of the iris so that it reaches the back of the
cornea and obliterates the filtration angle, thus reducing
Vitamin A Deficiency

• Deficiency is rare in the United States, but it is still

a major public health prob­lem in the developing
world.

• Annually, about 80,000 individuals worldwide

(mostly children in underdeveloped countries) lose
their sight from severe “A” deficiency.

• “A” deficiency is due to inadequate intake of foods

high in “A” (liver, kidney, whole eggs, milk, cream,
and cheese) or β-carotene, a precursor of “A”,
found in dark green leafy vegetables and yellow or
Vitamin A Deficiency

• One of the earliest visual defects to appear with

“A” deficiency is night blindness (nyctalopia).
• “A” deficiency also contrib­utes to blindness by
causing the eye to become very dry, which
damages the cornea (xerophthalmia) and retina.
• “A” first alters rod function, but concomitant cone
degeneration occurs as “A” deficiency develops.
• Prolonged deficiency is associated with anatomic
changes in the rods and cones fol­lowed by
degeneration of the neural layers of the retina.
Strabismus
• is a misalignment of the eyes and one of the most
common eye problems in children, affecting
about 4% of children under 6 years of age.
• It is characterized by one or both eyes turning
inward (esotropia), outward (exotro­pia),
upward, or downward.
• Strabismus is also commonly called “wandering
eye” or “crossed-eyes.” It results in visual images
that do not fall on corresponding retinal points.
• It is important to institute treatment before age 6
in affected children.
Color Blindness (2)
• Individuals with normal color vision are called
trichromats.
• Dichromats are individuals with only two cone
systems; they may have protanopia, deuteran­opia,
or tritanopia.
• Monochromats have only one cone sys­tem.
• Abnormal color vision is present as an inherited
abnormality in white populations in about 8% of
the males and 0.4% of the females.
• These abnormalities are inherited as recessive and
X-linked characteristics.
Color Blindness

• The most common test for color

blindness uses the Ishi­hara charts,
which are plates containing figures made
up of colored spots on a background of
similarly shaped colored spots.
Signs that may indicate a child has vision problem
include:

1. Frequent Eye Rubbing or Blinking

2. Short Attention Span
3. Avoiding Reading and Other Close up Activities
4. Frequent Headache
5. Covering one eye
6. Tilting the head to one side
7. Holding Reading Materials Close to the Face
8. Seeing Double
9. Losing Place when Reading
10.Difficulty Remembering what He or She Read
Common Problems of Vision
Disorder
• Suffer from Eye Strain
• Have Red or Watery Eyes when reading
• Complain of Blurred, Double, or Moving
Print
• Squint or Rub their Eyes While Reading
• Hold books Too Closely when reading
• Cover One Eye when Read
• Have difficulty in Copying from the Board
• Complain of Headache
• Have Poor Handwriting