Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Retina

The Retina

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.

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

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,...

Anatomy of the Eyeball

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...

Color Vision

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy.

Handbook of clinical neurology·2026

Same author

In vivo elastography of the human retina using light-evoked intrinsic actuation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Optoretinography in R9AP-bradyopsia reveals the essential role of G-protein signaling in the human cone elongation response.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Dissecting Complex Interactions Between Ferroptosis and the Proteasome.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Revealing the benefit of eye motion for acuity under emulated cone loss.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Focusing on color: How the eye chooses which wavelength to see best.

Science advances·2026

Same journal

Generalizable framework for multi-site bone density prediction using non-dominant wrist optical biomarkers.

Biomedical optics express·2026

Same journal

Erratum: Review of dynamic optical coherence tomography for intracellular motility [Invited]: errata.

Biomedical optics express·2026

Same journal

Digital-micromirror-device-based illumination strategies for background suppression in single-molecule localization microscopy.

Biomedical optics express·2026

Same journal

Synergistic combination of convective self-assembly and hollow core fiber for sensitive SERS detection of glucose molecules.

Biomedical optics express·2026

Same journal

Multimodal diagnostic network integrating infrared and mass spectra for lung cancer.

Biomedical optics express·2026

Same journal

Multimodal Optical Biosensing for Precision Medicine and Healthcare: Introduction to the feature issue.

Biomedical optics express·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Imaging Ca2+ Dynamics in Cone Photoreceptor Axon Terminals of the Mouse Retina

Imaging Ca2+ Dynamics in Cone Photoreceptor Axon Terminals of the Mouse Retina

Published on: May 6, 2015

Characterizing cone spectral classification by optoretinography.

Vimal Prabhu Pandiyan^1,2, Sierra Schleufer^1,3, Emily Slezak¹

¹Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.

Biomedical Optics Express

|January 2, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Optoretinography (ORG) offers a more sensitive and reliable method for classifying cone photoreceptors compared to traditional densitometry. This advanced technique, using adaptive optics, provides high accuracy and faster imaging for spectral classification.

More Related Videos

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Published on: March 20, 2021

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Published on: March 14, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Imaging Ca2+ Dynamics in Cone Photoreceptor Axon Terminals of the Mouse Retina

Imaging Ca2+ Dynamics in Cone Photoreceptor Axon Terminals of the Mouse Retina

Published on: May 6, 2015

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Cone-Enriched Cultures from the Retina of Chicken Embryos to Study Rod to Cone Cellular Interactions

Published on: March 20, 2021

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Published on: March 14, 2012

Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Vision Science
Biomedical Optics

Background:

Photoreceptor outer segments are crucial for vision, with light propagation influenced by photopigment absorption and phototransduction.
Retinal densitometry has historically studied photopigment absorption, while optoretinography (ORG) offers a new method to assess outer segment optical path length changes.
Adaptive optics (AO) combined with densitometry and ORG enables cone spectral classification by analyzing differential bleaching signatures of cone types.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize cone spectral classification using ORG implemented in an AO line-scan optical coherence tomography (OCT) system.
To compare the efficacy of ORG for cone classification against traditional AO-scanning laser ophthalmoscope densitometry.
To evaluate the sensitivity, dynamic range, accuracy, and reliability of ORG for probing cone photopigments.

Main Methods:

Implementation of ORG using an AO line-scan OCT system for imaging cone mosaics.
Classification of cone spectral types within the cone mosaic of color normal subjects.
Comparative analysis of ORG cone classification with AO-scanning laser ophthalmoscope densitometry in a subset of subjects.

Main Results:

ORG-based cone classification demonstrated high probability (∼0.99) and low error rates (<0.22%).
The method exhibited high test-retest reliability (∼97%) and required short imaging durations (< 1 hour).
High agreement (mean: 91%) was observed between ORG and densitometry for cone spectral assignments, even with measurements separated by 6-7 years.

Conclusions:

ORG provides a highly accurate and reliable method for cone spectral classification.
ORG offers superior sensitivity and dynamic range compared to densitometry for probing cone photopigments.
ORG-based OCT represents a significant advancement for in vivo cone photoreceptor characterization and spectral classification.