A cheiroscope (also: ''chiroscope'') is an
optical device
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...
consisting of a
viewing instrument equipped with a drawing pad, with the viewing instrument set up as a
haploscope A haploscope is an optical device for presenting one image to one eye and another image to the other eye. The word derives from two Greek roots: ''haploieides'', single and ''skopeo'', to view. The word is often used interchangeably with stereosco ...
that blends a left and/or right image into view over the drawing.
The cheiroscope was presented in an article published in 1929.
[ ()] The author E. E. Maddox writes that compared to the earlier
amblyoscope,
:"
e cheiroscope approaches the problem from a different and complementary angle, on the simple principle of pressing the ''hand'' into service to educate the eye."
A cheiroscope can be operated in different manners. For example, using a cheiroscope, a line image can be presented to one
eye and the image of a blank sheet to the other eye, and the subject is intended to make a drawing that reproduces the line image.
The cheiroscope is used for diagnostic purposes to test
binocular vision
In biology, binocular vision is a type of vision in which an animal has two eyes capable of facing the same direction to perceive a single three-dimensional image of its surroundings. Binocular vision does not typically refer to vision where an ...
, to assess certain conditions of
strabism in particular related to binocular stability and alignment,
, and the presence and extent of
suppression
Suppression may refer to:
Laws
* Suppression of Communism Act
*Suppression order a type of censorship where a court rules that certain information cannot be published
* Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, an Act of the Parliament of New Zealand aimed ...
.
It can also be used in
vision therapy
Vision therapy (VT), or behavioral optometry, is an umbrella term for alternative medicine treatments using eye exercises, based around the pseudoscientific claim that vision problems are the true underlying cause of learning disabilities, parti ...
to train
amblyopic subjects in desuppression and
eye–hand coordination
Eye–hand coordination (also known as hand–eye coordination) is the coordinated control of eye movement with hand movement and the processing of visual input to guide reaching and grasping along with the use of proprioception of the hands to ...
.
A
stereoscope
A stereoscope is a device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images, depicting left-eye and right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-dimensional image.
A typical stereoscope provides each eye with a lens that makes the ima ...
can be modified to function as a cheiroscope.
Cheiroscope
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See also
* Diplopia
Diplopia is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object that may be displaced horizontally or vertically in relation to each other. Also called double vision, it is a loss of visual focus under regular conditions, and is often v ...
* Amblyopia
* Orthoptist
Orthoptics is a profession allied to the eye care profession. Orthoptists are the experts in diagnosing and treating defects in eye movements and problems with how the eyes work together, called binocular vision. These can be caused by issues with ...
References
{{reflist
Optical instruments
Stereoscopy