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The optical system of fishes

  • Russell D. Femald
Chapter

Abstract

How fish see has probably puzzled anyone who has ever opened their eyes underwater whilst swimming to discover a shimmering unfocused world. It has certainly intrigued both scientists and fishermen, because fish appear to see quite well indeed. The eyes of fishes, like those of other familiar animals, have evolved adaptations responsible for two main visual functions: (1) to collect light, and (2)to form a focused image for analysis by the retina. In fish, the additional challenge of seeing underwater has resulted in novel solutions to these fundamental problems. This chapter will discuss two major features of fish visual systems: optics, which is the collection of light and formation of an image by the lens, and accommodation, which is the focusing of images on the retina.

Keywords

Spherical Aberration Chromatic Aberration Spherical Lens Retinal Illuminance Lens Diameter 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© Chapman and Hall 1990

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