The functioning of the human eye in an extremely wide range of light intensity requires a combination of the high sensitivity of photoreceptors with their photostability. It turns out that these opposing requirements are not easy to reconcile. Various regulatory mechanisms in the human eye are known to control the intensity of the photon flux reaching the photoreceptors. One of them is the opening and closing of the pupil of the eye, a mechanism that can be compared to the action of the aperture of a camera. Recent studies show that the human eye also has a mechanism that can be compared to window blinds [1]. This mechanism is based on macular pigments: lutein and zeaxanthin. “Molecular blinds” block the transmission of photons lo photoreceptors in high light, but facilitate their passage in low irradiance conditions. During the seminar, the research that led to the discovery of this mechanism will be presented and discussed
About the speaker
Department of Biophysics, Institute of Physics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland Photo: Michat lepecki, NCN archives
