How Color Vision Works
The retina contains millions of photoreceptors called rods and cones.
When the rods and cones detect light, they send a signal to the brain for interpretation.
The combinations of these three colors produce all of the colors that we are capable of perceiving.
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The ability to perceive any color requires interaction betweenat least twotypes of photoreceptors (dichromatic vision).
Background of Trichromatic Theory
Color is a noteworthy part of our visual experience.
But what exactly explains our experience of color?
Renowned researchers Thomas Young and Hermann von Helmholtz contributed to the trichromatic theory.
Researchers discovered that pigments in the cones (opsins) have different levels of absorption of light waves.
Photoreceptors also tend to have different sensitivity levels.
Blue receptors are the most sensitive and red the least.
The perception of color by the brain requires input from at least two different types of cones.
The brain must interpret information about both the wavelength and the intensity of the incoming stimulation.
This is known as tetrachromatic vision.
Color Blindness
We cannot talk about color vision without mentioning color blindness.
The underlying cause of color blindness is a genetic alteration in one or more of the cone pigments.
People with this bang out will have difficulty discerning between blue and green, or between red and yellow.
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