Teachable moment in classrooms:
- special senses chapter – location of retina, the third tunic of the eye
- special senses chapter – location and importance of macula lutea
- special senses chapter – the retina needs blood supply to bring oxygen and nutrients to the neurons of the retina
- special senses chapter – location of liquid-filled spaces inside the eye
- special senses chapter – the sensory cells called rods and cones of the retina detect light
The news item: Recently the following news report appeared online:
Duncansville Eye Practice Using AR-Type Headset to Diagnose Major Eye Issues
A Duncansville eye practice is using a new augmented-reality device made by Florida-based company Heru to diagnose severe conditions in patients. This AR-like headset can detect serious eye diseases like Glaucoma in minutesand it’s being used right here in Blair County.
The report states that the HERU is a headset with goggles, and the equipment projects flashes of light in the visual field of the eye, and asks the test subject to respond when they see the light. Among other conditions, glaucoma can be diagnosed with the device.
So, Why Do I Care?? Deterioration of vision is a major threat to quality of life in an aging population. The most serious causes of vision loss are glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, affect over 13 million people in the US. Faster and easier to perform diagnostic process can ensure that people can get an early diagnosis, and more effective treatment. In addition to those two eye disorders the HERU device can diagnose 7 additional eye disorders, indicating the versatility of the device.
Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about what glaucoma is. This eye disorder develops because of the increased pressure inside the eye. The pressure is coming from the accumulation of aqueous humor in the front (anterior) cavity inside the eye. The increased pressure is then transferred to the vitreous humor of the posterior cavity. The vitreous humor compresses the blood vessels on the surface of the retina, and that slows the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the light-sensing cells (rods and cones). Picture a garden hose with water flowing through it. If someone steps on the hose the water flow slows down. The same happens to blood vessels of the retina if they are compressed. Without enough oxygen and nutrients the rods and cones start dying, and they no longer detect light, and that leads to vision loss.
Second, let’s talk about what age-related macular degeneration is. This eye disorder develops when a small patch of the retina, the macula lutea, malfunctions. The cause of macular degeneration is