The retina is the part at the back of your eye that detects light. It has special cells called photoreceptors, which come in two types: rods and cones.
Rods are very sensitive to changes in light and dark, shapes, and movements. They have only one kind of light-detecting pigment and aren’t good for seeing colors. In low light, like at night, we mainly use our rods, which makes us see things in black and white. Rods are more common than cones on the outer edges of the retina. If you want to see a faint star at night, try using your side vision and your rod cells. There are around 120 million rods in our eyes.
Cones, on the other hand, aren’t as sensitive to light as rods but are essential for seeing colors. They are most sensitive to one of three colors: green, red, or blue. Signals from cones go to the brain, which helps us see different colors. Cones work best in bright light, so it’s hard to see colors in the dark. They are also better for seeing details. There are about 6 million cones in our eyes.
Some people can’t distinguish certain colors; they are called “color blind.” This happens when someone is missing a type of cone in their retina, or one type might be weak. About 8% of males and 0.5% of females have some form of color blindness.
Also Check: