Photoreception: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	light reception

Photos and Videos

details of the mammalian eye

optical arrangements of eyes among nocturnal, arhythmic, and diurnal animals

Diagram of an opossum eye in cross-section showing a large lens and labeled retina, illustrating how the eye's structure enhances night vision by gathering more light.

An adult Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) carries several young on its back while walking outdoors.

chambered nautilus

image formation in apposition and superposition eyes

Diagram showing the structure of rod and cone cells in the eye, with labeled parts including outer and inner segments, mitochondria, nucleus, and synapse. A detailed view of the rod's outer segment highlights lamellar particles, free-floating disks, ciliary fibrils, and membrane folds, illustrating photoreceptor anatomy involved in vision.

Diagram showing the layered structure of the human retina, with labeled optic nerve fibers, ganglion cells, bipolar neurons, rod cells, cone cells, and pigmented epithelium at the base.

Discover how scientists have recreated the benefits of insects' compound eyes as compound lenses

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Topics

eye vision emmetropia eye movement Donders’ law mantle papilla tear gland ocular dominance orbit scotopic vision Chemoreception Mechanoreception Thermoreception

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

branchiopod: Responses to light

Key People

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Haldan Keffer Hartline

American physiologist