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Physiology of Photoreceptor Organs pp 609–634Cite as

Light and Dark Adaptation

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Sensory Physiology ((1536,volume 7 / 2))

Abstract

Living photoreceptor systems modify their behavior to light stimulation. After exposure to light, their sensitivity decreases and this is accompanied by a speeding up of responses and an increase in space-time resolution; in darkness the entire process is reversed. These changes, called light — and dark — adaptation have evolved to optimize the function of visual receptor systems in an ever-changing external world so that they can enhance sensitivity at the expense of spatial and temporal accuracy when light energy is scarce or do the converse when energy is abundant.

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    Peter Gouras

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  1. National Institutes of Health, Room 2C02, Building 36, Bethesda, Maryland, 20014, USA

    M. G. F. Fuortes

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Gouras, P. (1972). Light and Dark Adaptation. In: Fuortes, M.G.F. (eds) Physiology of Photoreceptor Organs. Handbook of Sensory Physiology, vol 7 / 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-65340-7_17

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