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Updated: May 20, 2026

The Optokinetic Response as a Quantitative Measure of Visual Acuity in Zebrafish
Published on: October 9, 2013
Photonic crystal light collectors in fish retina improve vision in turbid water
Moritz Kreysing1, Roland Pusch, Dorothee Haverkate
1Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
Abstract:
Despite their diversity, vertebrate retinae are specialized to maximize either photon catch or visual acuity. Here, we describe a functional type that is optimized for neither purpose. In the retina of the elephantnose fish (Gnathonemus petersii), cone photoreceptors are grouped together within reflecting, photonic crystal-lined cups acting as macroreceptors, but rod photoreceptors are positioned behind these reflectors. This unusual arrangement matches rod and cone sensitivity for detecting color-mixed stimuli, whereas the photoreceptor grouping renders the fish insensitive to spatial noise; together, this enables more reliable flight reactions in the fish's dim and turbid habitat as compared with fish lacking this retinal specialization.
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