You have requested a machine translation of selected content from our databases. This functionality is provided solely for your convenience and is in no way intended to replace human translation. Neither SPIE nor the owners and publishers of the content make, and they explicitly disclaim, any express or implied representations or warranties of any kind, including, without limitation, representations and warranties as to the functionality of the translation feature or the accuracy or completeness of the translations.
Translations are not retained in our system. Your use of this feature and the translations is subject to all use restrictions contained in the Terms and Conditions of Use of the SPIE website.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print format on
SPIE.org.
Abstract
With the comments and remarks provided in the last chapter, the foundation and characterization of the CAGE-Barten model can be considered completed. There remain two issues to be discussed: the chance of improvement for human vision, and the structure of spatial visual channels. These issues are discussed in this and the following chapter. This chapter is devoted to speculations on the overall quality of the human visual system.
Chapter 12 discussed the performances of the human eye as represented by the CAGE eye model from a purely optical perspective. One result obtained in those pages was that the optical design of the human eye represents an intermediate step between a rough optical system (with all spherical surfaces) and a diffraction-limited system, free of spherical aberration. The eye was shown to be the result of a not fully optimized optical design that employed trichromatic photoreceptors because of the enormous advantage of color vision over monochromatic vision. It was further pointed out that the refractive media of the eye are characterized by a poor capability of chromatic dispersion compensation. The resulting compromise did not provide an evolutionary gain for a stronger reduction of third-order aberrations of the eye.
The discussion in Chapter 12 can now be completed with the estimates of visual performance, thus providing more convenient means to evaluate the actual ocular design in relation to other potential solutions. This includes not only the optical portion of the design, but also the neural portion, in an effort to provide answers to the basic question: could evolution have produced a better eye design?
Online access to SPIE eBooks is limited to subscribing institutions.