Summary
The spectral sensitivity of the dark adapted cat's eye between 341 and 673 mμ has been measured by recording the electroretinogram and the electrical response of isolated retinal ganglion cells.
The sensitivity curve of the lensless eye is very similar to the absorption spectrum of rhodopsin. It roughly reflects both the α- and the β-band of photopigment absorption, but is narrower on both sides of the maximum. This effect is probably due to the reflectivity of the tapetum of the cat's eye.
The spectral absorption characteristics of cat lenses were measured in the visible and ultraviolet region. For two cats the increase in spectral lens absorption between 600 and 330 mμ, expressed in densities, was 0,3, compared with 1,8 between 320 and 312 mμ. The lens of a third cat, although transparent, showed absorption characteristics similar to those reported for human material.
When the sensitivity curves before and after removal of the lens were compared, the effect of lens absorption could only be shown if an extremely large stimulus area was used. With stimulation of small area, however, the sensitivity in the intact eye was lower for long wavelengths and considerably higher for shorter wavelengths as compared with the lensless eye.
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Dodt, E., Walther, J.B. Netzhautsensitivität, Linsenabsorption und physikalische Lichtstreuung. Pflügers Archiv 266, 167–174 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00363645
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00363645