Color sorting by retinal waveguides

Light is being detected by the two distinct types of photoreceptors in the human retina: cones and rods. Before light arrives at the photoreceptors, it must traverse the whole retina, along its array of higher-index Müller cells serving as natural waveguides. Here we analyze this optical process of light propagation through Müller cells by two independent optical methods: numerical beam propagation and analytical modal analysis. We show that the structure and refractive index profile of the Müller cells create a unique spatio-spectral distribution of light. This distribution corresponds to the positions and spectral sensitivities of both cones and rods to improve their light absorption.