Where did the time go? Seems like yesterday I started this trimester and it is already the end of July! One month to go which means we are in the final stretch. My classmates and I dedicated our week to studying, both by ourselves and together. It was ironically a fun week of studying (sounds like an oxymoron) because I missed those group library sessions. I am sure my readers can relate, the week of the big exam you and your classmates all get a study room in the library, bring a ton of caffeinated beverages, and bury your heads in the books. Well that is exactly what we did. Hours of studying hopefully paid off on Thursday when we took the neuroanatomy exam.

Photo Credit: Kelsey Jackson

Meanwhile in neurophysiology we were discussing the visual and auditory systems. We discussed the blind spot of the visual field and conducted a series short experiments where we were able to experience what we discussed in class. For example the blind spot in the visual field due to the presence of the optic disc.

(Image Source: Wikipedia)

Our vision actually has a blind spot where we have no photoreceptors and our brain fills in the missing information! Notice where the Optic disc is in the picture above, that is where we have an absence of photoreceptors. See for yourself by following the directions of the picture below!

(Image source: evolutionevidence.org)

Our brain fills in the information from that blind spot. Isn’t the human body amazing? We also used the snellen chart (the chart with the letters and numbers used by optometrists to determine one’s vision) to understand vision and its physiological parameters. Why does one person see the same picture at the same distance clear and others see it blurry? It has to do with the physiology of one’s eye, the lens and the elasticity of the fibers holding the lens. Very interesting stuff and as you can see below we had some fun with it.

My classmate Jeff was trying to see if another classmate of mine could read the text below the snellen chart! I couldn’t get past the 2nd line without my glasses.

It was a lot of information to remember especially when we had neuroanatomy to study for, but we have a great group of students and we keep each other’s spirits high!

That’s all for this week.

If you have any questions be sure to send me an email at [email protected]