PHYSIOLOGICAL BACKGROUNDS OF METHODS COLOR CAMPIMETRY

PHYSIOLOGICAL BACKGROUNDS OF METHODS
COLOR CAMPIMETRY
( PC- BASED PROGRAM COMPLEX "OCULAR")

About OCULAR | OCULAR Applications | Top page | Page up

Historical notice
(Prepared for the Medical Encyclopedia by Leonid I. Nesteruk, PhD, 1997)

CAMPIMETRY (Lat. Campus - field + Gr. Metreo - measure) - a group of methods for the investigation of the central and paracentral (up to 30) parts of the Visual Field (VF) on a plane surface (campimeter), on the computer's monitor screen, etc.

Campimetry was introduced by A. Graefe in 1855 for clinical applications and, now, it is an effective method of diagnostics (including early, differential), prognosis and treatment control of the diseases of the retina, optic nerve and pathways of the Visual System (VS), CNS lesions.

The way of the defects detection in the Central Part of VF (CPVF), adjacent to the optic nerve head (including angioscotomas) was developed by J. Bierrum) in 1880-th. He had also composed the first atlas of characteristic pathological changes of VF.

The evolution of the campimetry methods is supposed to be divided into three stages:

"Kinetic" - CPVF investigations with kinetic methods manually (till 1960-th years) - the qualitative estimation of the VF absolute defects;
"Static" - application of kinetic and static methods (since 1960-th years), including automatic computer (since 1970-th years) with application of methods of mathematical statistics, pattern recognition, artificial intelligence (since 1980-th years) - qualitative and quantitative estimation of the absolute and relative defects in CPVF;
"Pathophysiological" - (since 1980-th years) the use of complicated stimulation of the CPVF (by the color, directional, geometrically different objects presented statically or nonstationary on the homogeneous, polycontrast or polychromatic background, etc.), developed on the base of the recognition of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the VS operation (in various pathologies for the solution of the specific differentially - diagnostics tasks).

The last stage differs by the large variety of the approaches to the CPVF investigation, using color filters; multiflash campimetry; ring (high-pass resolution) campimetry; peripheral displacement thresholds; pattern resolution campimetry; white noise campimetry; peripheral color contrast; color campimetry; an equalizing on the subjective luminance; motion sensitivity, etc.

In medicine the campimetry is used for a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of a degree of damage of visual functions, determination of a level and localization of pathological processes in the VS, evaluation of a dynamics of treatment (surgical, pharmaceutical, physiotherapeutical, etc.).

In physiology of vision the campimetry is applied to investigate mechanisms of operation of the various levels of the VS, including space and temporary summation, contrast sensitivity, color vision.

In ophthalmoergonomics the campimetry was included in a complex of methods for a research of the eyestrain, as well as in the investigation of dynamics of light and color sensitivity for the light filters and optical correction, and the influence of a psychological and mechanical overloads, etc.

About OCULAR | OCULAR Applications | Top page | Page up