Visual Development

From The Critics

Reviewer: Harris Ripps, PhD(University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description: The author has produced a lively, informative, and highly readable account of the major areas of research in the field of visual development.
Purpose: By using as his framework the anomalies associated with various forms of visual deprivation, the author has fashioned a beautifully integrated and exceptionally well-illustrated volume that draws upon research in a wide range of disciplines. This, together with the important clinical implications of the subject, will make this book essential reading for anyone professing an interest in the visual system.
Audience: This book is targeted at graduate students in neurobiology, psychology, developmental biology, and physiology as well as residents and practitioners in optometry and ophthalmology.
Features: The book opens with a historical perspective on the subject of visual deprivation, the philosophical questions it raised, and the profound interest it has aroused through the ages. Following a chapter on the functional or animation of the retina and visual cortex, which provides the stepping stone for what follows, the volume is divided into major sections that deal with normal development, amblyopia and the effects of visual deprivation, and the mechanisms of plasticity. These are broad areas, indeed, but there is remarkably little compromise between rigor and readability, and the reader will be rewarded well for a complete reading of this outstanding book. Only a scientist with the author's grasp of the complexities of this burgeoning field of study could have conveyed so well the issues, both basic and clinical, that are dealt with in this book.
Assessment: In a splendid concluding section, the author pauses to assess the progress that has been made over the past few decades, to identify the important questions that have yet to be resolved, and to sketch a useful roadmap and realistic goals for the junior investigator embarking on a career in the study of visual development. Whether one agrees fully with Daw's value judgments is a moot point; one cannot help but be impressed by his intellectual prowess in interpreting the experimental findings and in pointing the way for future research. A glossary that follows the body of the text provides a convenient description of the general terms relating to the subject matter. This book will retain its value for some years to come.

Harris Ripps

The author has produced a lively, informative, and highly readable account of the major areas of research in the field of visual development. By using as his framework the anomalies associated with various forms of visual deprivation, the author has fashioned a beautifully integrated and exceptionally well-illustrated volume that draws upon research in a wide range of disciplines. This, together with the important clinical implications of the subject, will make this book essential reading for anyone professing an interest in the visual system. This book is targeted at graduate students in neurobiology, psychology, developmental biology, and physiology as well as residents and practitioners in optometry and ophthalmology. The book opens with a historical perspective on the subject of visual deprivation, the philosophical questions it raised, and the profound interest it has aroused through the ages. Following a chapter on the functional or animation of the retina and visual cortex, which provides the stepping stone for what follows, the volume is divided into major sections that deal with normal development, amblyopia and the effects of visual deprivation, and the mechanisms of plasticity. These are broad areas, indeed, but there is remarkably little compromise between rigor and readability, and the reader will be rewarded well for a complete reading of this outstanding book. Only a scientist with the author's grasp of the complexities of this burgeoning field of study could have conveyed so well the issues, both basic and clinical, that are dealt with in this book. In a splendid concluding section, the author pauses to assess the progress that has been made over the past few decades,to identify the important questions that have yet to be resolved, and to sketch a useful roadmap and realistic goals for the junior investigator embarking on a career in the study of visual development. Whether one agrees fully with Daw's value judgments is a moot point; one cannot help but be impressed by his intellectual prowess in interpreting the experimental findings and in pointing the way for future research. A glossary that follows the body of the text provides a convenient description of the general terms relating to the subject matter. This book will retain its value for some years to come.

Booknews

An introductory text for graduate level optometry students and ophthalmology residents covering major advances in our understanding of development, sensory deprivation and its effects, and plasticity in the nervous system from behavioral, anatomical, and physiological points of view. Includes illustrations and a glossary. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

4 Stars! from Doody