Recovery of 3D-depth perception for patients with degraded vision (amblyopia)
Dennis Levi, Professor
Optometry
Applications for Fall 2024 are closed for this project.
Most people with degraded vision (amblyopia) lack 3D-depth vision (stereoblindness). Using a simple training, the depth perceptual sense can be recovered and some people can experience depth in 3D movie theatres for the first time. The goal of the project is to test this phenomenon extensively and investigate what are the changes happening in the brain. For that project, we are using psychophysics, eye-tracking, and fMRI scanning.
Role: There are various roles that the undergraduate can negociate. The primary task is to help out in recruiting patients, administer the 3D-recovery training and the assessments (including simple clinical tests). Depending on the student, many additional specific tasks could be carried out, including data analysis and literature search. The undergraduate could also learn how to operate the MRI scanner and get experience in MRI data collecting. Students with lack of 3D-depth perception could be trained for recovery. There is also an option for programming, designing or running a new experiment. Students could learn basic psychophysical and brain imaging techniques, and contribute to all aspects of the experiments.
Qualifications: Interest in vision, commitment and high motivation are required. Students are expected to devote at least 10 hours per week to the project. Flexibility with hours and ability to be here in the evenings and occasional weekends is a plus. Depending on the specific tasks, programming in Matlab can be desirable but not necessary. Amblyopia or lack of 3D-depth perception is no problem for helping on the project.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Jian Ding, Post-Doc
Hours: 9-11 hrs
Related website: https://www.levilabberkeley.org/
Biological & Health Sciences