Which Creature Sees Best?

I just returned from a wonderful teaching visit to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Besides giving some lectures and conducting lab sessions at the microscope I was fortunate to be invited to tour their world-famous Veterinary School. They have a large Comparative Ophthalmology program headed by Dr. Richard Dubielzig. Comparative Ophthalmology means studying the visual systems of different creatures: fishes, birds, reptiles, mammals, etc. How grateful I was to have had the opportunity to examine the visual systems of many different species.

This logically prompts the question, "Which creature, big or small, posessess the best overall eyesight?" Perhaps you were thinking about eagles or other predators. Nope. According to Dr. Dubielzig, human beings see the best day and night. Healthy human eyes have precise central vision, function well in the dark, and we can enjoy all the colors of the visible spectrum. Yeah, but do eagles need bifocals?!?

Here's another fact I did not know. Deer cannot see bright orange colors. That gives a tremendous advantage to hunters dressed in orange gear plus the enhanced visibility offers improved safety from potential accidents caused by fellow hunters.


Related Topics: Vision Tests, Your Guide to Eye Health

Technorati Tags: comparative ophthalmology, animal studies, vision