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Related Concept Videos

Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...
Sensation01:21

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Sensory receptors are specialized neurons that respond to specific types of external stimuli, initiating the process known as sensation. This occurs when sensory input, such as light entering the eye, is detected by these receptors, causing chemical changes in the cells of the retina. These cells then convert the sensory stimulus into action potentials that are transmitted to the central nervous system, a process termed transduction.
Absolute thresholds can quantify the sensitivity of sensory...
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At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...
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Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
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Color Vision

Color perception begins in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Two main theories explain how colors are seen: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. The trichromatic theory, proposed by Thomas Young in 1802 and extended by Hermann von Helmholtz in 1852, suggests that color vision is based on three types of cone receptors in the retina. These cones are sensitive to different but overlapping ranges of wavelengths corresponding to red, blue, and green.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Imaging Ca2+ Dynamics in Cone Photoreceptor Axon Terminals of the Mouse Retina
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Published on: May 6, 2015

The absolute threshold of cone vision.

Darren Koenig1, Heidi Hofer

  • 1University of Houston College of Optometry, 4900 Calhoun Road, Houston, TX 77204, USA. dkoenig@optometry.uh.edu

Journal of Vision
|January 29, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Researchers precisely measured cone vision

Area of Science:

  • Vision science
  • Photoreceptor physiology
  • Human psychophysics

Background:

  • Cone vision's absolute threshold is critical for understanding human visual perception.
  • Previous estimates may be inaccurate due to suboptimal experimental conditions.
  • Accurate threshold measurements are essential for visual modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To accurately determine the absolute threshold of human cone vision.
  • To refine methodologies for measuring visual detection thresholds.
  • To investigate factors influencing cone and rod threshold measurements.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized optimized stimuli (small, brief, monochromatic) and a rating scale framework.
  • Presented stimuli foveally to dark-adapted retinas in 5 subjects.

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Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

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  • Compared cone-specific testing with rod-optimized stimuli in 4 subjects.

    • Main Results:

    • Determined cone absolute threshold to be 203 ± 38 photons at the cornea.
    • This value is approximately 0.47 log units lower than previously reported.
    • Cone thresholds showed less criterion variability than rod thresholds.

    Conclusions:

    • The absolute threshold of cone vision has been underestimated in prior studies.
    • Findings suggest limits to stimulus information beyond Poisson noise in the cone mosaic.
    • Results inform models of early human cone vision and psychophysical data interpretation.