Eye Retina Rods Cones Colour vision
Our eyes are amazing sense organs. They allow us to appreciate the beauty of the world around us, and to read and gain knowledge. But how are visual experiences created? How do we detect and process different light levels and different colours? How are we able to see some objects in detail, whereas objects at the periphery of our vision are less sharp? This is where the light-sensitive neural tissue at the back of our eyes — the retina — is important. And, specifically, where two specialised types of photoreceptors (cells that respond to light) in our retinas really come into their own. These cells are called rods and cones. It is the unique distribution of these cells across the retina and the connections they make to other cells that are crucial for vision (see Box 1 on p, 35).
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