Müller cells refocus the red and blue light, delivering them directly to the same cone cell (Image: Jens Grosche)

Editorial: The eye was evolution’s great invention

IT LOOKS wrong, but the strange, “backwards” structure of the vertebrate retina actually improves vision.

Certain cells act as optical fibres, and rather than being just a workaround to make up for the eye’s peculiarities, they help filter and focus light, making images clearer and keeping colours sharp.

Although rods and cones are responsible for capturing light, they are in a curious position. Hidden at the base of the retina, they are covered …