![]() While the sensitivity of each cone type is maximized at different wavelengths, there is some overlap in which wavelengths the cones detect. Red cones detect light with wavelengths from 500-700 nanometers (nm) long, green cones 450-630 nm, and blue cones 400-500 nm (7). There are three types of cone cells that sense light waves from different parts of the color spectrum (6). Rods are important for seeing in dim light, and cones are responsible for color vision (4). When light waves reach our eyes, they are detected by special light-sensitive neurons called rods and cones (6). The waves that are reflected back are the ones that reach our eyes. When white light hits an object, waves of some wavelengths are absorbed, and others are reflected back, depending on the physical properties of that object. White light – the light that comes from a light bulb or the sun – is composed of light of all wavelengths (5). For instance, the color red has a relatively long wavelength – about 700 nanometers (nm) – whereas purple has a shorter wavelength – roughly 400 nm (4). Similar to the way sound waves of different wavelengths give higher- or lower-pitched sounds, different wavelengths of light are perceived as different colors (4). Knowing how light behaves helps us understand the concept of color and how we see it. People with protanomaly (B) and deuteranomaly (C) - two types of color blindness-may have difficulty noticing details in their surroundings. Without color vision, humans lose a significant amount of critical information.įigure 1 ~ Color vision allows humans to more easily detect borders of objects (A). 1) (3), picking up on non-verbal social signals, and noticing details about the environment (2). ![]() Color vision is particularly important in detecting the borders of objects (Figure. Among our other senses, hearing provides just 5% and our other senses provide even less (2). Vision is the most important sense for humans, providing 90% of the information we process. Fortunately, new technology is allowing people with a common type of colorblindness to see the world in full color for the first time. Thus, although they might be able to tell you what color the dress is, other colors may be impossible for them to distinguish. Colorblind people are unable to distinguish certain shades of color, depending on the type of colorblindness. Colorblindness, on the other hand, is caused by differences in our eyes, not our brains. As it turns out, however, the dress is simply a type of optical illusion-a difference in how our brains process visual information, not a problem with anyone’s eyes. Some of you may even have worried that you were colorblind when you saw a different color dress than your peers. ![]() You probably also formed a firm opinion about whether the dress was blue and black or white and gold. You probably saw the photo of the dress that caused an uproar on the Internet a few weeks ago (1).
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