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Sight or Sensing Light Images
by Ron Kurtus (updated 18 May 2023)
Sight (or vision) is one of your major senses. You sense light images with your eyes, which operate in a manner similar to how digital cameras work.
The light radiation is detected in the eye, focused on the retina, changed to electrical signals, and transmitted by the nerves to the brain where they are processed and recorded.
Most animals have the sense of vision.
The characteristics of the light you see include color and brightness. You can also determine direction, distance, and depth from what you see. Light images provide information about the environment around you.
Questions you may have include:
- How does the eye work?
- What are the characteristics of the light we see?
- What is the information gained?
This lesson will answer those questions.
Eyes detect light images
Eyes are the sense organs that detect light waves and send those signals to the brain for processing.
The human eye consists of a lens that collects and focuses incoming light, a transmitting material, and the retina that changes the light energy into electrical signals. Those signals are then sent to the brain for processing and interpretation.
Eye similar to digital camera
Your eye is similar to a digital camera. The light from some source enters the camera and is focused by the lens to the detector at the back of the camera. The detector takes the focused image and changes it into electrical signals that are saved in the camera memory chip. That information can later be processed and displayed as a picture.
Factors in sight
The light you see consists of different colors and brightness. Different parts of the retina detect different colors. You can sense how bright or intense the light you see is.
After it is processed, it makes up the images you perceive.
Binocular vision
The separation of your eyes results in a view of an object from a slightly different angle. When the images from each eye are processed in your brain, you "see" the view and objects in three dimensions. This is called binocular vision.
Direction and distance
You can detect the direction a light is coming from and, in some cases, its distance.
The detection of direction is determined by aiming the eyes at the sources of the light.
The detection of distance is more difficult and often relates to the size of the image, its brightness, and the focus of the eyes on the source.
Comparing what you know about the size of an object and its apparent image size, you can determine how far away the object is.
Information
As with all of your senses, the purpose of seeing is to provide you with information of the world or environment around you. The processing of the light and images provides you with the information. Sight also results in the ability to communicate.
Summary
Sight is one of your major senses. Your eyes operate in a manner similar to how digital cameras work. The light radiation is detected in the eye, focused on the retina, changed to electrical signals, and transmitted by the nerves to the brain where they are processed and recorded.
You can sense color and brightness of the light you see and also determine direction, distance, and depth. Light images provide information about the environment around you.
See the light and improve your knowledge
Resources and references
Websites
The Eye and the Sense of Sight - eSchoolToday.com
How Do We See? - AskaBiologist.asu.edu
Visual perception - Wikipedia
Visual system - Wikipedia
Sense - Wikipedia
Sensor - Wikipedia
List of sensors - Wikipedia
Books
(Notice: The School for Champions may earn commissions from book purchases)
Top-rated books on Senses and Communication
Students and researchers
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sight.htm
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Sight or Sensing Light Images