Vision Flashcards
The _____ and ____ focus light
cornea, lens
Refraction
The bending of light
Done by the cornea
Ciliary muscles
Adjust the focus of the eye by changing the shape of the lens
Accommodation
The process of focusing the lens
Pupil
Controls how much light enters the eye
Dilates or shrinks to adjust for light
Extraocular muscles
Control eye movements
Retina
Where visual processing begins
Contains several cell types
Photoreceptor cells
Light goes all the way to the back here first
Rods and cones
Bipolar cells
Light goes out to the bipolar cells; assisted by the horizontal cells
Receive input rom photoreceptors and synapse on ganglion cells
Ganglion cells
Light goes out to the ganglion cells; assisted by the amacrine cells
Axons from these cells form the optic nerve and exit the eye
Horizontal cells
In the retina
Contact photoreceptors and bipolar cells
Inside-out processing
Light goes to the back of the eye first and makes its way out
Photopic system
The one that uses cones
Good for color vision
Good for visual acuity and sharpness
Downside of photopic system
Require more light to be activated
Scotopic system
Uses rods
Works in dim light
Low visual acuity
Three general characteristics of the visual system
Sensitivity
Integration
Adaptation
Sensitivity
Weak stimuli are amplified to produce physiological effects
Integration
Takes time to integrate the stimuli, which makes vision relatively slow but increases sensitivity
Adaptation
The visual system is capable of adapting to a wide range of light intensities
Quanta
Unit of measurement for electromagnetic radiation that the visual system responds to
Each quantum has a _________
wavelength
Photons
Quanta of light energy with visible wavelengths
The visual system can deal with a wide range of light intensities by…
- adjusting pupil size
- range fractionation
- photoreceptor adaptation