Ron
November 11th 04, 08:27 PM
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Natalie Godwin (818) 354-0850
NEWS RELEASE: 2004-277 November 11, 2004
Space Science and Medical Technology: To See or Not to See
Vision is the primary sense used by astronauts in space. Visual
information is essential during critical phases of space flight,
such as rendezvous and docking, robotic operations and landing.
The spaceflight environment has many significant effects on the
visual and ocular system that can adversely affect astronaut
performance, and may lead to long-term health consequences.
In two free public lectures, Dr. Wolfgang Fink, JPL senior
research scientist and assistant professor of ophthalmology and
neurosurgery at the University of Southern California, Los
Angeles, will describe tools for early detection, diagnosis and
prevention of eye disorders in space and on Earth. The lectures
will take place Thursday evening, Nov. 18, at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, and on Friday evening, Nov. 19, at
Pasadena City College.
"Blindness is not necessarily an irreversible stroke of fate any
more," said Fink. "We are at the dawn of artificial vision,
thanks to recent developments in microdevices and image
processing." Fink and his visual and autonomous exploration
systems research group at the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena are working on computer-enhanced vision for patients
wearing visual prostheses.
On Earth, there are many conditions that, if not detected, may
lead to irreversible vision loss or blindness. The human eye and
vision system can be likened to a camera consisting of an optical
lens system (cornea and eye lens), film (retina), and an image-
processing unit (retina and visual cortex). The malfunctioning of
only one of these components will impair vision.
The free lectures are part of JPL's Theodore von Karman Lecture
Series. Both will begin at 7 p.m. Seating is on a first-come,
first-served basis. The Thursday lecture will be in JPL's von
Karman Auditorium at 4800 Oak Grove Dr., off the Oak Grove Drive
exit of the 210 (Foothill) Freeway. The Friday lecture will be in
Pasadena City College's Vosloh Forum, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.
For more information, call (818) 354-0112. Thursday's lecture
will be webcast live and available afterwards at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/nov04.cfm .
Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
-end-
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Natalie Godwin (818) 354-0850
NEWS RELEASE: 2004-277 November 11, 2004
Space Science and Medical Technology: To See or Not to See
Vision is the primary sense used by astronauts in space. Visual
information is essential during critical phases of space flight,
such as rendezvous and docking, robotic operations and landing.
The spaceflight environment has many significant effects on the
visual and ocular system that can adversely affect astronaut
performance, and may lead to long-term health consequences.
In two free public lectures, Dr. Wolfgang Fink, JPL senior
research scientist and assistant professor of ophthalmology and
neurosurgery at the University of Southern California, Los
Angeles, will describe tools for early detection, diagnosis and
prevention of eye disorders in space and on Earth. The lectures
will take place Thursday evening, Nov. 18, at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, and on Friday evening, Nov. 19, at
Pasadena City College.
"Blindness is not necessarily an irreversible stroke of fate any
more," said Fink. "We are at the dawn of artificial vision,
thanks to recent developments in microdevices and image
processing." Fink and his visual and autonomous exploration
systems research group at the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena are working on computer-enhanced vision for patients
wearing visual prostheses.
On Earth, there are many conditions that, if not detected, may
lead to irreversible vision loss or blindness. The human eye and
vision system can be likened to a camera consisting of an optical
lens system (cornea and eye lens), film (retina), and an image-
processing unit (retina and visual cortex). The malfunctioning of
only one of these components will impair vision.
The free lectures are part of JPL's Theodore von Karman Lecture
Series. Both will begin at 7 p.m. Seating is on a first-come,
first-served basis. The Thursday lecture will be in JPL's von
Karman Auditorium at 4800 Oak Grove Dr., off the Oak Grove Drive
exit of the 210 (Foothill) Freeway. The Friday lecture will be in
Pasadena City College's Vosloh Forum, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.
For more information, call (818) 354-0112. Thursday's lecture
will be webcast live and available afterwards at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures/nov04.cfm .
Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
-end-