Principles of Eye Design

OPTICS 448, CVS/BCS 526
Instructor: David Williams (#5-8672)
david@cvs.rochester.edu
Thursdays, 9am-12 noon
Room 269, Meliora Hall

The course will begin by describing the optical and neural factors that limit our capacity to resolve patterns in space, time, and wavelength, with an emphasis on the information capacity of the eye's optics and the retina. We will compare the human eye with eyes that evolved to operate in different environments, such as the acute eyes of predatory birds and the compound eyes of insects. A session of radiometry, photometry, and colorimetry will provide students with the skills to calibrate visual displays both in physically and visually meaningful units. The second half of the course will focus on new developments in vision correction and retinal imaging, especially in the area of methods to control the eye’s aberrations.

Each session will begin with a lecture either by me or a guest instructor who is an expert on that topic. The lecture will be followed by a discussion involving all the course participants. Students will be expected to serve as coordinator for one or perhaps two sessions. The coordinator will choose readings on the topic taken from the literature in consultation with the session instructor, distributing copies one week in advance of the session. Corrdinators will also lead the discussion of the readings. Students will be evaluated on class participation and with a take home exam given at the end of the semester.

*Dates when I will be out of town.