2020-2021 Basic and Clinical Science Course™ (BCSC), Section 03: Clinical Optics

Section 3 provides a comprehensive overview of clinical optics, including current applications of optical phenomena such as lasers, spectacles, IOLs and refractive surgery.

Deepen your understanding with nine clinical videos, a Quick-Start Guide to Optics and How to Refract and chapter highlights. Reviews optics of the human eye; basic concepts of geometric optics; ophthalmic instruments and contact lenses. Vision rehabilitation is also discussed. Includes real-life clinical examples, figures and learning exercises to help gauge your understanding of the material.

Upon completion of Section 3, readers should be able to:

- Outline the principles of light propagation and image formation and work through some of the fundamental equations that describe or measure such properties as refraction, reflection, magnification and vergence
- Define the various types of visual perception and function, including visual acuity, brightness sensitivity, color perception and contrast sensitivity
- Explain the optical principles underlying various modalities of refractive correction: spectacles, contact lenses, intraocular lenses and refractive surgery

Last major revision: 2018–2019