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Related Concept Videos

Vision01:24

Vision

55.5K
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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The Retina01:32

The Retina

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The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.
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Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

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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...
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Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

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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,...
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Visual System01:26

Visual System

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Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
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Color Vision01:24

Color Vision

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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: Sep 26, 2025

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision
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Vision and retina evolution: How to develop a retina.

Bernd Fritzsch1, Paul R Martin2

  • 1Department of Biology & Department of Otolaryngology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.

IBRO Neuroscience Reports
|April 22, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The evolution of vertebrate vision involved a split of neurosensory cells into photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). This process was influenced by gene duplications and specific transcription factors like Neurod1 and Atoh7.

Keywords:
EyeNeuroporeOpsinPinealRetinaRetinal ganglion cell

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary developmental biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Vertebrate evolution involved the expansion of homeobox (Hox) gene clusters from a single cluster in basal chordates.
  • The visual system's evolution is linked to changes in neurosensory cell types and their genetic regulation.
  • Basal chordates like lancelets and sea-squirts offer insights into early visual system development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the expansion of the Hox gene pool influenced the evolution of the vertebrate visual system.
  • To propose an evolutionary model for the development of photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs).
  • To contrast visual structure development genetics across different chordate groups.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of gene expression patterns in basal chordates (lancelets, sea-squirts) and vertebrates (lampreys, hagfish, jawed vertebrates).
  • Review of existing literature on transcription factors regulating photoreceptor (e.g., Neurod1) and RGC (e.g., Atoh7) development.
  • Tracing the evolutionary origins of retinal and pineal structures.

Main Results:

  • A single ancestral neurosensory cell type likely diverged into photoreceptors and RGCs.
  • Vertebrate photoreceptor development is regulated by Neurod1, while RGC development depends on Atoh7 and related genes.
  • Basal chordates lack Neurod and Atoh7, possessing distinct neurosensory cells that may be precursors to vertebrate visual structures.

Conclusions:

  • Whole-genome duplications played a crucial role in the evolution of the visual system, facilitating the divergence of cell types and structures.
  • An evolutionary sequence is proposed linking gene duplications to the split between photoreceptor and RGCs, and subsequently between pineal and lateral eye structures.
  • Understanding gene regulation in basal chordates provides a framework for deciphering the evolutionary history of the vertebrate eye.