It is an old question: how does light make its way through all the retinal layers to finally strike the light sensitive cells at the back of the eye? A group of researchers at the Paul-Flechsig-Institute of Brain Research, Universität Leipzig in Germany, thinks it has the answer. They have demonstrated that light is collected and funnelled through long cells called Müller cells. These work almost exactly like a fibre optic plate: a "zero-length window" that optical engineers can use to transmit an image without using a lens."Nature is so clever," Reichenbach says. "This means there is enough room in the eye for all the neurons and synapses and so on, but still the müller cells can capture and transmit as much light as possible."
Storyteller: Andreas Reichenbach, Universität Leipzig in Germany
Storyteller Master: Ian Musgrave, Pandas Thumb
Story research: The vertebrate eye does not have a compromised design
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