I am interested in understanding the nature of sensory information processing by the early stages of the visual system. Trained as an engineer, I take a mechanistic approach which is heavily influenced by quantitative theories of communication and signal detection. My early work in retinal neurophysiology in lower vertebrates and mammals retina brings a comparative flavor to my current research into the role of retinal organization and visual optics in setting the limits to visual performance. I am especially interested in understanding peripheral vision, where the fundamental limitations on the quality of human vision imposed by retinal architecture are particularly evident, and on translating that understanding into useful diagnostic tests for
Facilities
My laboratory is well equipped for performing human psychophysical experiments on peripheral and central vision and for measuring the optical quality of the human eye's optical apparatus. Access to public eye clinics on IU-Bloomington campus and at IUPUI permit clinically-related, applied research to be carried out on individuals with specific sensory anomalies.