The book emphasizes "experience-dependent" neural plasticity—the idea that the brain's visual circuits must be "tuned" by environmental stimuli during early development to function correctly.
Howard provides a comprehensive review of how depth perception matures from the embryonic stage to post-natal life. Perceiving in Depth Volume 1 Basic Mechanisms
The text follows the visual signal from the eye through the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) to the visual cortex. It pays specific attention to the columnar organization of the cortex, which is specialized for depth-related processing. It pays specific attention to the columnar organization
A detailed analysis covers how disruptions during these critical periods—such as strabismus (crossed eyes) or monocular deprivation—can lead to permanent defects like amblyopia (lazy eye) or a total loss of stereoscopic vision. Development and Neural Plasticity
Unlike simpler texts, this volume also provides deep dives into the motor controls of vision, such as accommodation (the eye's ability to focus) and vergence (the simultaneous movement of both eyes to maintain single binocular vision). Development and Neural Plasticity