One way to motivate students' interest in physics is to teach it in the context of medicine.1 Optics, for example, can be taught with examples from the eye. For many years simple optics of lenses has been taught using a model of the eye.2 However, recent advances in using lasers for ophthalmological (ocular) examinations3 can be used to increase motivation and provide a look at sophisticated use of lasers in ophthalmology. This paper describes a set of experiments that help students learn about contemporary methods of ophthalmological examinations that do not require the traditional approach of placing many lenses in front of the patient's eyes.
REFERENCES
1.
We developed and evaluated many teaching units in medical context (for example, the load of the spinal column, the mechanics of the masticatory apparatus, breathing, diving, static and dynamics of the blood vessel system, types of accommodation, defective vision, underwater seeing, etc.). The teaching material is available in German: http://www.physik.uni-muenchen. de/didaktik (see Fundgrube).
2.
Human Eye Model, PASCO scientific, Catalog # OS 8427, http://www.pasco.com.
3.
D. A.
Atchison
, “Recent advances in measurement of monochromatic aberrations of human eyes
,” Clin. Exp. Optometry
88
, 5
–27
(2005
).
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2006 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2006
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.