What Are Rods & Cones in the Human Eye?
Rods and cones are light-sensitive receptors located in the back of the eye. The human eye contains between 5 million and 7 million cones and 110 million to 130 million rods.
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Function
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Rods and cones are essential to vision. Together they are able to detect movement, light and color, and relay that information back to the brain.
Rods
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Rods are highly sensitive cells located in the outer area of the retina (the lining of the back of the eye). They are used in areas of dim light and are most acute to light, shape and movement changes. Rods do not detect color.
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Cones
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Cones are located in the central fovea (central area of the retina). They are less sensitive than rods and require bright lighting. Cones are central to our ability to see color.
Cone Types
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There are three different types of cones which detect short (S), medium (M) and long (L) light wavelengths. S cones detect blue color, M cones detect green and L cones detect red.
Color Blindness
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Color blindness occurs when, due to genetics, one or more of the cone types are impaired.
Fun Fact
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Since rods are located on the outer edge of your eye, your peripheral vision is more sensitive in low light than your central vision.
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