The Tapestry of Vision

Abstract

Retinal photoreceptors are essential for perceiving visual images in the world around us. My work focuses on the processing of visual information within the retina of a variety of animals. The image submitted is a scanning electron micrograph of photoreceptors from the retina of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. The photoreceptors are the light-sensitive cells that capture photons and turn the light energy into an electrical signal. These key retinal cells are the starting point of the journey that visual information takes before it reaches the visual cortex in the brain and it is processed and converted into meaningful images. I chose this particular image because I was fascinated by how much a photoreceptor field resembles a richly woven tapestry, which in this case is crafted from living cells.