visual system
Eyes and brain
The visual system is the collection of biological structures that enable sight—the eyes, optic nerves, and brain regions that process visual information.
In humans, light enters through the cornea, is focused by the lens onto the retina, and converted to neural signals that travel to the visual cortex.
The term encompasses the entire pathway from light detection to perception: damage to any part of the visual system can impair vision.
Light-sensing tissue layer
- corneaEye's clear outer dome
- lensLight-focusing curved glass
- irisEye's pigmented disc
- pupilLearner or eye opening
optic nerve · fovea · macula · sclera · vitreous · choroid · conjunctiva · photoreceptors
Visual perception faculty
- seeingPerceiving by sight
- gazeFixed, intent look
- focusConcentrated attention point
- scanningSystematic visual examination
recognition · detection · tracking · observation · acuity · resolution · sensitivity · adaptation
Gauging object distance visually
- pattern recognitionIdentifying regularities in inputs
- stereopsisBinocular depth vision
- figure-groundPerceptual separation of object and background
- gestaltIntegrated perceptual whole
afterimage · optical illusion · fixation · tracking · accommodation · vergence · spatial awareness · face perception
German wartime ballistic missile
- neuronsSignal-transmitting brain cells
- edge detectionFinding boundaries in images
- face recognitionIdentifying individuals by countenance
- neural pathwaySignal route between neurons
feature detection · occipital lobe · parietal lobe · temporal lobe
Absence of vision
- myopiaBlurry distance vision
- hyperopiaDifficulty seeing nearby objects
- astigmatismIrregular corneal curvature disorder
- glaucomaPressure damages optic nerve
cataracts · macular degeneration · color blindness · amblyopia · strabismus · nystagmus · diplopia · scotoma
retina
Light-sensing tissue layer
pupil · optic nerve · fovea · macula · sclera · vitreous · choroid · conjunctiva · photoreceptors · rods
sight
Visual perception faculty
scanning · recognition · detection · tracking · observation · acuity · resolution · sensitivity · adaptation · light detection
depth perception
Gauging object distance visually
- pattern recognitionIdentifying regularities in inputs
- stereopsisBinocular depth vision
- figure-groundPerceptual separation of object and background
gestalt · afterimage · optical illusion · fixation · tracking · accommodation · vergence · spatial awareness · face perception
V2
German wartime ballistic missile
- neuronsSignal-transmitting brain cells
- edge detectionFinding boundaries in images
- face recognitionIdentifying individuals by countenance
feature detection · neural pathway · occipital lobe · parietal lobe · temporal lobe
blindness
Absence of vision
- myopiaBlurry distance vision
- hyperopiaDifficulty seeing nearby objects
- astigmatismIrregular corneal curvature disorder
glaucoma · cataracts · macular degeneration · color blindness · amblyopia · strabismus · nystagmus · diplopia · scotoma · hemianopia
visual systemauditory system
Organs that detect sound
hearing · touch · vestibular system · echolocation · sense of smell
vision, visible, visual, invisible, visionary, vista, visualize, systemic, visions