photopigment
Retinal color detector
A photopigment is a light-sensitive molecule that absorbs light and triggers a chemical response, enabling vision or other biological processes.
The photopigments in the retina—rhodopsin in rod cells and cone opsins in cone cells—convert light into neural signals.
Different photopigments respond to different wavelengths, which is how color vision works.
Molecule's tint-causing portion
- retinalOf eye's inner lining
- isomerizationMolecular rearrangement keeping same atoms
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- 11-cis-retinalOpsin-bound visual pigment
vitamin A · carotenoid · retinoid · protein folding · kinase · membrane protein
Process of taking in
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- light-sensitiveResponsive to radiant energy
- excitationStimulation of response
- activationSetting into operation
cascade · amplification · hyperpolarization · response · threshold · adaptation · bleaching · recovery
Thin rigid stick
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- retinaLight-sensing tissue layer
- color visionPerceiving hue differences
- scotopicRelating to dim-light vision
color blindness · night vision · visual acuity · fovea · peripheral vision · circadian rhythm · pupil response · visual perception
chromophore
Molecule's tint-causing portion
- retinalOf eye's inner lining
- isomerizationMolecular rearrangement keeping same atoms
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
11-cis-retinal · vitamin A · carotenoid · retinoid · protein folding · kinase · membrane protein
absorption
Process of taking in
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- light-sensitiveResponsive to radiant energy
- excitationStimulation of response
activation · cascade · amplification · hyperpolarization · response · threshold · adaptation · bleaching · recovery · electrical signal
rod
Thin rigid stick
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- retinaLight-sensing tissue layer
- color visionPerceiving hue differences
scotopic · color blindness · night vision · visual acuity · fovea · peripheral vision · circadian rhythm · pupil response · visual perception
photopigmentlens
Light-focusing curved glass
cornea · optic nerve · vitreous humor · pupil · iris