Modeling the visual pathway for interactive diagnosis of visual fields

Abstract

Visual fields are an important tool for the ophthalmologist in the detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of certain diseases and maladies of the visual pathway. The aim of the present research is to build a computer system which utilizes a learning machine to develop a mathematical model of the visual pathway. It is hoped that this system may be used in the field of ophthalmology as a teaching aid, or may assist in various aspects of diagnosis. Faults corresponding to blind or impaired areas of visual fields are extracted from medical records of a patient\u27s condition. The structure of the model allows both forward and backward simulation of the faults in a manner related to the multidimensional path sensitizing technique utilized in the diagnosis of digital systems. An important feature of the method is close man-machine interaction, accomplished with the aid of a graphic display, which enables the path sensitizing and the learning to be observed as it progresses --Abstract, page ii