How vision begins: An odyssey
- 22 July 2008
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 105 (29), 9855-9862
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0708405105
Abstract
Retinal rods and cones, which are the front-end light detectors in the eye, achieve wonders together by being able to signal single-photon absorption and yet also able to adjust their function to brightness changes spanning 10(9)-fold. How these cells detect light is now quite well understood. Not surprising for almost any biological process, the intial step of seeing reveals a rich complexity as the probing goes deeper. The odyssey continues, but the knowledge gained so far is already nothing short of remarkable in qualitative and quantitative detail. It has also indirectly opened up the mystery of odorant sensing. Basic science aside, clinical ophthalmology has benefited tremendously from this endeavor as well. This article begins by recapitulating the key developments in this understanding from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s, during which period the advances were particularly rapid and fit for an intricate detective story. It then highlights some details discovered more recently, followed by a comparison between rods and cones.Keywords
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