Rethinking the Process of Vision
A New Explanation for Light Interaction with the Retina of the Eye and the Vision Process
This BBC video above "Colorful Notions" from 1985 first summarizes the classical theory of color vision and follows with the ideas of Edwin Land who personally explains and demonstrates his experiments. It can be viewed as an introduction to this work.
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THE OUTER SEGMENTS OF RETINAL RECEPTORS INTERFACE DIRECTLY WITH THE REALM OF QUANTUM PHYSICS
by Gerald Huth on August 5, 2010
The light interactive outer segments of the millions of receptors on the retina of the eye have been variously defined (for example, by the physicist Roger Penrose) as extended nerve endings of the brain. This work explains that this vast field of nerve endings immediately interfaces the human nervous system with the realm of quantum physics. Applying the findings of modern physics, each individual light interactive site on the retinal plane is seen to function in the 10-15 sec (femtosecond) time, and optical near-field, spatial domains, in essence, in the regime of quantum physics. Electromagnetic wave interaction at each of these retinal sites results in the generation of a quantized (and subsequently thermalized) electron particle that serves as an internal, signal-producing event.
The retina then should be visualized from this new perspective as an array of three (and only three) types of nano-dimensionally defined “antenna” sites whose function is to extract three specific narrow wavelengths and NOT colors (see below) from the vast sea of electromagnetic radiation. These three wavelengths constitute ‘primary’ wavelengths and not ‘primary colors’ (see below) that correspond to ends and the precise middle of what we term the visual band and that proceed to form a visual image of what we perceive as external reality.
(It is truly instructive to step back in this manner and consider the retina as a vast field of millions of logically spaced nerve endings and not, as has been taught in the past, from the viewpoint of the actions of individual receptors’)
Further, the three types of light interactive sites defined on the retina form a concentric ring pattern sensitive to the diffraction of light in the structures of the eye. The retina does not directly form an image as has for so long been thought. Rather it is a Fourier transform of perceived reality that is detected on the retina. There had been speculation in the past that this was the case but this had never been demonstrated until now.
The three wavelengths that form the diffraction pattern on the retina represent three “primary” wavelengths that are subsequently used to synthesize the hues that are commonly termed color. The sensation of color is not detected at the plane of the receptors of the retina and the idea that there are ‘color sensitive cones’ is mistaken. It becomes clear that the geometrically-defined exact middle of the visual band is the ‘fulcrum’ that Edwin Land deduced must be present . It is dramatic that light wavelength – in this case 550 nm – is determined geometrically in this biological structure! It follows that Land’s theory of color vision is the correct one. The hues of color are obtained by the eye obtaining a ratio of the integrated lightness values on either side of this fixed reference.
Much more….but enough for now
GCH
Ojai, CA
8.5.10