Had to visit the optometrist today – a far
far more amiable experience than the trip to the dentist the other day. As well
as the shiny new spectates, a script and timely down time in a dimly lit room
there was an additional bonus – getting to see a part of my brain. A high resolution
picture of my retina (retinas.)
As we know, the retina is a part of the
brain pushed out into the eye during development. It retains many
characteristics of other brain regions and hence has yielded significant
insights on brain mechanisms. Visual processing begins there as a result of
neuronal interactions in two synaptic layers that initiate an analysis of
space, color, and movement. In humans, visual signals from 126 million
photoreceptors funnel down to one million ganglion cells that convey at least a
dozen representations of a visual scene to higher brain regions.
Interesting to read local electrical
stimulation of the retinal surface in patients blind from outer retinal disease
has resulted in focal light perception that seems to arise from the stimulated
area. Such findings in an acute experiment warrant further research into the
possibility of prolonged retinal stimulation, improved resolution, and
ultimately, an intraocular visual prosthesis.
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