Scientists confirm that at the front of the photoreceptors in human retinas and not behind them, which means that the human retina is made backwards.
Erez Ribak, a professor at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, suggests that until now it was believed that the human retina is only a neural image processor and a simple detector. The optical structure of the retina is enhanced for the purpose of vision.
Ribak explains that the photoreceptors in vertebrates are positioned behind the neurons and on the back side of the eyes, which results in scattering of the light by nervous fibres and distorting of our vision.
"New research has confirmed the biological purpose for this seemingly counter-intuitive setup," says Ribak.
Ribak cites at previous researches with mice, which suggested that Muller glia cells, a kind of metabolic cell that crosses the retina, plays an important role in managing and directing the light that has been scattered all over the retina.
The study involved testing the theory with the help of experiments on lab mouse and computer simulations. The researchers wanted to establish if colors can be concentrated in the metabolic cells.
The researchers utilized confocal microscopy for producing 3D observations of the tissues in the retina. The study found that metabolic cells were concentrating light in the photoreceptors. The research team will now use goggles filled with water to decrease corneal aberrations, which will allow observers to obtain a finer observation of the retina at depth.
The retina in vertebrates is a layer of tissue that is light-sensitive and lines the inner surface of the eye. The optical structure of the eye generates an image of the visual world on the retina, via the lens and cornea, which aids a similar function as found in a camera's film.
The latest study is important as it will help scientists to understand better the complex structure of the entire eyes.
On Thursday, March 5, Ribak and other co-authors of the study will present their research at the 2015 American Physical Society meeting, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas.
Photo: Kyle May | Flickr
