The Graduate Program Course Descriptions, listing all available courses offered by the Graduate Program in Vision Science, are available as an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) download.
GP100 Level Courses
Course Number: GP101A
Course Title: Visual Optics
Hours: 3 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course V1108A
Pre-requisites: Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I , Geometric Optics I and II, or equivalent
Course Number: GP102A
Course Title: Monocular Sensory Processing
Hours: 3 Hours Lecture/1.5 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course V2220A
Course Number: GP103A
Course Title: Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I
Hours: 3 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B1107A
Pre-requisites: Visual Optics is strongly recommended. May be taken concurrently.
Course Number: GP104A
Course Title: Ocular Anatomy and Physiology II
Hours: 3.5 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B2208A
Pre-requisites: Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I
Course Number: GP105A
Course Title: Geometrical and Physical Optics I
Hours: 4 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course V1122A
Course Number: GP106A
Course Title: Geometrical and Physical Optics II
Hours: 4 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course V1123A
Prerequisites: Geometrical Optics I
Course Number: GP107A
Course Title: Oculomotor Systems
Hours: 3 Hours Lecture/2 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course V2289A
Course Number: GP108A
Course Title: Ocular Biochemistry
Hours: 2 Hours Lecture
Description: See Professional program course B2204A
Prerequisites: Physiology and Biochemistry of the Human Organism I,II and III or equivalent
courses.
Course Number: GP109A
Course Title: Binocular Vision
Hours: 4 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course V2211A
Prerequisites: Visual Optics, Monocular Sensory Processing, Oculomotor
Systems, or permission of instructor.
Course Number: GP110
Course Title: Ocular Pharmacology
Hours: 2.5 Hours Lecture
Description: See Professional program course B2213A
Course Number: GP112A
Course Title: Visual Perception
Hours: 3 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course V2239A
Course Number: GP113A
Course Title: Human & Visual Development
Hours: 2 Hours Lecture
Description: See Professional program course V2215A
Course Number: GP114A
Course Title: General Histology
Hours: 3 Hours Lecture/2 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B1110A
Course Number: GP115A
Course Title: Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics
Hours: 5 Hours Lecture/0.4 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B1112A
Course Number: GP116A
Course Title: Gross Human Anatomy I
Hours: 2 Hours Lecture/2 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B11103A
Course Number: GP117A
Course Title: Gross Human Anatomy II
Hours: 2 Hours Lecture/2 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B1104A
Course Number: GP118A
Course Title: Physiology & Biochemistry I
Hours: 4 Hours Lecture/0.6 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B1113A
Course Number: GP119A
Course Title: Physiology & Biochemistry II
Hours: 2 Hours Lecture/0.3 Hours Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B1114A
Course Number: GP120B
Course Title: Neuroscience
Hours: 2 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B1105B
Course Number: GP122A
Course Title: General pathology & Immunology
Hours: 4 Hours Lecture
Description: See Professional program course B2200A
Course Number: GP123A
Course Title: General Pharmacology I
Hours: 2 Hours Lecture
Description: See Professional program course B2211A
Course Number: GP124A
Course Title: General Pharmacology II
Hours: 3 Hours Lecture
Description: See Professional program course B2212A
Course Number: GP125A
Course Title: Microbiology I: General & Ocular
Hours: 2.5 Hours Lecture/1 Hour Laboratory
Description: See Professional program course B2205A
G200 Level Courses
Course Number: GM201A
Course Title: Introduction to Statistics
Instructor: Drs. Feldman
Credits: 3
Description: This course is intended as a broad overview of basic statistical principles and methods for the beginning graduate student. Among the topic areas covered are: large and small sample hypothesis testing; experimental design, analysis of variance; parametric and non-parametric tests and correlations.
Hours: 3
Pre-requisites: Undergraduate statistics or permission of instructor.
Course Number: GM202A
Course Title: Optics of the Eye
Instructor: Dr. Kruger
Credits: 3
Description: This advanced seminar complements Visual Optics. The development of visual optics is traced from ancient theories and medieval optics to the current view of the eye as an image-forming optical system. Conventional views are contrasted with an ecological approach. Original readings deal with blur (defocus, chromatic and spherical aberration), visual resolution, and pupillary effects, and emphasize the nature of the retinal image. The course is structured around the focusing of the eye (accommodation) and the stimuli that influence focus.
Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Visual Optics or equivalent. May be taken concurrently.
Geometrical Optics or equivalent
Course Number GM203A
Course Title: Spatio-temporal Processes
Instructor: Drs. Zaidi, Lee
Credits: 3
Description: The topics to be covered in this seminar include:psychophysics of Fourier
Contrast in space and time, physiology of spatiotemporal sensitivity, computational Fourier and image analysis and spatio-temporal analyses of perceptual mechanisms.
Hours: 3
Pre/co requisites: Monocular Sensory Processing or permission of instructor
Course Number GM204A
Course Title: Color Vision
Instructor: Drs. Zaidi, Lee
Credits: 3
Description: The course will introduce the student to the scientific basis for trichromacy, II-mechanisms, color mixture, line-element analysis, opponent colors theory, color appearance, color contrast, color discriminations (spectral colors and non-spectral color space), and color blindness and tests. The student should be able to recognize and follow the recent research literature in color vision.
Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Monocular Sensory Processing or permission or instructor.
Course Number: GM205A
Course Title: Vegetative Physiology of the Eye
Instructor: Dr. Picarelli
Credits: 3
Description: This seminar will concentrate on topics dealing with important ultrastructural, cellular, and physiological events in the anterior segment of the eye. Specifically the students will be reading and discussing papers relating to lacrimal and corneal physiology and aqueous humor dynamics.
Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I
Course Number: G207A
Course Title: LGN and Cortex
Instructor: Dr. Wyatt
Credits: 3
Description: This seminar is designed to take graduate students beyond the level of treatment of these topics given in Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I & II. Topics include functional aspects (and some structure) of lateral geniculate nucleus and visual cortex. The seminar concentrates on primary and secondary visual cortex, but some time is spent on other areas. The articles used for the seminar are a mixture of full original research papers, brief original papers, and one or two review papers. They range from landmark papers which have been particularly influential, to recent papers in areas at the edge of current research. Coverage of the topics is not exhaustive, but gives students a view of past and present research. The seminar is intended to help students approach the original literature critically, as well as to inform them about the topics.
Hours: 3
Prerequisite: Satisfactory performance in Ocular Anatomy and Physiology II
Course Number: G208A
Course Title: Ocular Motility (Oculomotor Behavior and Neurophysiology)
Instructor: Dr. Pola
Credits: 3
Description: Students in this seminar will review both classic and contemporary literature on oculomotor behavior, models, and neurophysiology. This will include readings on saccadic, smooth pursuit and vergence eye moments, as well as vestibular and optokinetic nystagmus. This seminar, together with G107 Oculomotor Systems should provide the student with a basic appreciation of issues, experimental procedures and findings in oculomotor science.
Hours: 3
Prerequisite: Oculomotor Systems
Course Number: GM209A
Course Title: Binocular Vision
Instructor: Dr. Ciuffreda
Credits: 3
Description: This course is devoted primarily to the motor components of binocular vision, namely tonic, accommodative, disparity, and proximal vergence. While sensory and perceptual aspects are considered, the emphasis is on static and dynamic aspects of the motor response, including bioengineering models and computer simulation.
Hours: 2 hour lecture/ 2 hour lab
Prerequisite: Binocular Vision
Course Number: GM210A
Course Title: Visual Perception
Instructor: Dr. Sedgwick
Credits: 3
Description: This seminar examines some theoretical ideas and empirical findings concerning
visual perception. Topics will include the perception of objects and object
motion, the perception of spatial layout, and the perception of the observer's own location, orientation, and motion in the environment.
Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Visual Perception
Course Number: GM211A
Course Title: Ocular Biochemistry
Instructor: Dr. Rupp
Credits: 3
Description: Topics covered include composition of aqueous tears, lacrimal gland secretions, ocular surface secretions, meimbomian lipids, and tear film in contact lens wear.
Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Ocular Biochemistry and permission of instructor
Course Number: GM212A
Course Title: Ocular Pharmacology
Instructor: TBA
Credits: 3
Description: This seminar will concentrate on the ocular applications of pharmaceutical agents as they relate to intraocular pressure responses and control of inflammation. The major emphasis will be to review both classic and contemporary research papers that deal with he basic mechanisms of pharmacological actions that underlie the observed ocular effects. The student is expected to be familiar with assigned readings and actively participate in data presentation and interpretation. The goal of the seminar is to familiarize the student with the experimental basis for understanding pharmacological actions of drugs on ocular structures.
Hours: 3
Prerequisite: Ocular Pharmacology
Course Number: GM213A
Course Title: Ocular Pathology
Instructor: Dr. Picarelli
Credits: 3
Description: The objective of this seminar is to have the student receive current knowledge in areas of ocular allergy inflammation and ocular immunology. The student will be able to discuss the molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the above processes and be able to discuss the role of the autoimmune process that affect the eye.
Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I
General Pathology, General Microbiology and Ocular Microbiology
General and Ocular Pharmacology or permission of instructor.
Course Number: GM214A
Course Title: Accommodation
Instructor: Dr. Ciuffreda
Credits: 3
Description: This course provides a detailed, and reasonably comprehensive overview of the human accommodation system. Emphasis is on the anatomy, biomechanics, physiology and clinical areas and their implications. The objective is to acquaint the student with many of the primary areas of accommodation.
Hours: 2 hours lecture/2 hours lab
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites. However, prior courses in ocular anatomy and visual optics would be extremely helpful.
Course Number: GM215A
Course Title: Pre-dissertation Research
Instructor: Various. Must have signed consent of instructor.
Credits: 1 credit per 3 hours of research per week
Hours: Variable.
Course Number: GM216A
Course Title: Visual Physiology of the Eye
Instructor: Dr. Wyatt
Credits: 3
Description: This seminar concentrates on papers relating to structure and function of the globe as they directly relate to vision. This includes retinal anatomy and neurophysiology, properties of the pupillary system and of the accommodative apparatus.
Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Satisfactory performance in Ocular Anatomy & Phys. I and II
Course Number: GM218A
Course Title: Visual Development
Instructor: Dr. Duckman
Credits: 3
Description: The topic covered by this seminar include the effect of early visual experience on anatomy and physiology, eye movements and vergence in infancy, development of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, refractive error in infancy, development of accommodation, and binocular sensory function and color vision in infancy.
Prerequisite: Visual Development
Course Number: GM219A
Course Title: Ethics in Research
Instructor: Dr. Feldman
Credits: 1
Description: This is a 10 hour seminar teaching responsible (ethical) research. Upon completion of this course, students will demonstrate heightened sensitivit to the code of ethical conduct required in biomedical research. They will also be familiar with the skills necessary in resolving ethical dilemmas they may face. The information and processing skills will be useful when they design research projects or review the research of others.
Prerequisite: None
Course Number: GM220A
Course Title: Receptors and Cell Signaling Pathways
Instructor: Dr. Reinach
Credits: 3
Description: It is becoming increasingly evident that many of the systemic and ocular diseases requiring therapy are a consequence of inappropriate receptor regulation of a physiological response. Therefore many drugs are being targeted to correct some dysfunction in receptor or effector control of a response. There are many examples showing that systemic and ocular diseases requiring therapy are a consequence of inappropriate receptor regulation of a physiological response. Accordingly, it is essential that students learn in more detail how recptors mediate responses so that they can make better decisions on their own about the intelligent use of a drug in future endeavors. This course will expand on the background information which they obtained in introductory general and ocular pharmacology courses.
Prerequsite: Undergraduate course in Cell Biology
Contact Hours: 3
Course Number: GE307A
Course Title: Independent Study
Instructor: Various. Must have signed consent of instructor.
Credits: 1 credit per 3 hours of independent study per week.
Hours: Variable
Course Number: GE309A
Course Title: Human Refractive Error Development
Instructor: Dr. Rosenfield
Credits: 3
Description: The objective of this course is to discuss and evaluate theories for the etiology of refractive error in humans. Particular emphasis will be placed on the development of myopia, and how this may be related to hereditary and environmental factors.
Hours: 3
Prerequisite: Visual Optics
Course Number: GE311A
Course Title: Accommodation Laboratory
Instructor: Dr. Ciuffreda
Credits: 3
Description: The student will gain "hands-on" experience with a variety of instruments commonly used to measure static and dynamic accommodation in basic and clinical research. The lectures will involve discussion of the basic principles of operation (optics, electronics, and mechanics) as well as the test protocol. The laboratory component will involve use of some of the devices by the students, including the confirmation of selected and accepted important results from previous studies, as well as development and implementation of a closely supervised, restricted original research project to provide a true sense of accomplishment.
Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor
Contact hours: 1 hour lecture/4 hours laboratory per week.
Course Number: GE313A
Course Title: Stiles-Crawford Effect
Instructor: Dr. Kruger
Credits: 3
Description: This advanced seminar will address the fibre-optic or waveguide nature of retinal cones (and rods), and the consequences of the Stiles-Crawford effect for visual function (e.g. depth of focus, aberrations, amblyopia, etc). Methods of measuring the Stiles-Crawford function, formation of interfererence or modal patterns by retinal receptors, the issue of receptor disarray, and the effect of receptor orientation on visual location will be discussed. Finally the interaction between the Stiles-Crawford effect and the effects of ocular aberrations will be introduced.
Hours: 3
Prerequisite: Visual Optics
Course Number: GE314A
Course Title: The Chromatic Aberration of the Human Eye
Instructor: Dr. Katz
Credits: 3
Description: The human eye exhibits longitudinal (axial) and transverse (lateral) chromatic aberration due to the dispersive properties of the ocular media. Longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA) is characterized by a series of chromatic images ranged along the optical axis in the order of short to long wavelength. Transverse chromatic aberration (TCA) occurs for off-axis images. It is a chromatic difference in magnification. This seminar will consider: the dispersion of the ocular media of reduced and schematic eyes; index of refraction, V-number and dispersion formulae; computation of chromatic aberration; the calculated LCA and TCA of reduced and schematic eyes, the measured LCA and TCA of reduced and schematic eyes; the correction of LCA and TCA with achromatising lenses, the effect on vision of LCA and TCA (retinal blur due to LCA, chromatic differences in magnification, MTF due to LCA and TCA); the role of LCA in accommodation.
Hours: 3
Course Number: GE315A
Course Title: Amblyopia
Instructor: Dr. Ciuffreda
Credits: 3
Description This seminar provides an overview of the sensory motor and perceptual aspects of vision and amblyopia. In addition, recent neurophysiological advances in imaging of the amblyopic brain will be considered along with possible clinical therapeutic implications.
Hours: 3
Course Number: GE316A
Course Title: Structure, Function and Clinical Role of the Tear Film in Protecting the Ocular Surfaces
Instructor: Dr. Sack
Credits 3
Description: It is the intent of this course to provide an overview of the nature and structure of the tear film and its roles in modulating the ocular surface homeostasis.
Hours: 3
Course Number: GE317A
Course Title: Psychophysical Aspects Perimetry in Glaucoma
Instructor: TBA
Credits: 3
Description: This seminar will explore the psychophysical principles of perimetric tests,
sources of within-subject and between-subject variability, and principles of new
tests. The primary emphasis will be on psychophysical understanding of clinical
issues, but there will also be some emphasis on ganglion cell pathways mediating
thresholds for the different kinds of permetric tests.
Hours: 3
Course Number GE318A
Course Title: Structural and Functional Correlations of Optic Nerve Assessment in Glaucoma
Instructor: Dr. Dul
Credits: 3
Description: Structural assessment of the optic nerve head in glaucoma
has, in recent years, received increased attention, particularly in
its use as an "objective" measure of disease presence and/or
progression. Several new structural methods have been introduced
into clinic settings. However, the sensitivity, specificity,
repeatability, use in the clinical management of glaucoma, and the
correlation of these measures to functional assessments is
incompletely understood. This seminar will explore the principles
behind these measures and their application in the management of
glaucoma. In addition, the fundamentals of the functional analysis
and clinical diagnosis of glaucoma will be reviewed.
Prerequisites: Either Neuroscience II or OAP II
G400 Level Courses
Course Number: BD401A
Course Title: Dissertation Research
Instructor: Various. Must have signed consent of instructor
Credits: 1 credit per 3 hours of research per week
Hours: Variable
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