Corso di laurea in Ortottica ed Assistenza Oftalmologica

The main learning objective is to provide students with the capacity to collaborate with the ophthalmologist in decision-making processes related to the rehabilitative and surgical management of patients suffering from nystagmus, as well as from vertical strabismus. A second main objective is to make students aware of the role saccades (and fixations) have in reading. A third learning objective is to inform students about the advances in our research carried out by the University of Turin about the use of optokinetic nystagmus as a strategy to assess visual acuity in non-cooperating or non-communicative subjects

 At the end of the lessons the students are expected to have acquired:

• skills to correctly manage patients affected by nystagmus, from the diagnosis and its classification to the orthoptic and surgical treatment, that is: to diagnose and classify the different types of nystagmus based on sign and symptoms, to perform orthoptic treatment, to plan with the physician surgical treatment (when required), and to cure binocular vision-related dysfunctions like ocular torticollis, tropias and amblyopia.

• understanding of the mechanisms underlying the competitive interaction between saccades and fixation, that are at the basis of the reading skill, in light of the recent acquisitions about the parvo- and magnocellular pathway.

• Understanding of the rationale and principles of the surgical treatment of vertical strabismus

• Understanding of the optokinetic nystagmus as a tool for the objective visual acuity measurement

 The course is structured as 12 hours of classroom lessons, characterized by strong teacher-students question-and-answer interaction, and 6 hours of supplementary educational activity

In compliance with the indications of the University, students are informed that the methods of carrying out the teaching activity may vary according to the limitations imposed by the current health crisis. The conduct of the lessons can make use of programming with distance learning through the use of platforms such as Moodle and Webex.

These modalities will be guaranteed in case of interruption of teaching in presence as well as through the programming of lessons parallel to teaching in presence

 Oral examination. The examination of each student will be scored as “failed” or “passed” with 18/30 up to 30/30 with honors.

In compliance with the indications of the University, students are informed that the methods of carrying out the verification activities may vary according to the limitations imposed by the current health crisis.

In case of impossibility to perform the exam in presence, the modalities of the exam can make use of remote assessments through the use of platforms such as Moodle and Webex

• Anatomy and physiology of the ocular movements. The physiological nystagmus.

• The optokinetic nystagmus and the end-point nystagmus: their meaning in the everyday clinical practice

• Pathological nystagmus: definition and classification.

• Congenital nystagmus, childhoold nystagmus and adulthood acquired nystagmus

• Objective and subjective signs

• Description of the clinical manifestations and compensatory attitudes of children with nystagmus (ocular torticollis and Cüppers esotropy

• Non surgical treatment

• Pleoptics and orthoptics. Theoretical and pratical considerations. Management of children in the clinical setting.

• Surgical treatment

• Kestenbaum and Anderson procedure, Fadenoperation and other techniques.

• Saccades and fixations during the lexical task

• The saccade/fixation alternation as the expression of the functional integration between the two subsystems which make up the visual pathway: the magnocellular and the parvocellular system

• Integrated didactics: vestibular nystagmus. Surgical management of vertical strabismus. Workshop on the topics of the course