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Human Visual System

The human visual system consists of the eye, optic nerve, and brain. The eye contains the cornea, iris, pupil, lens, and retina with photoreceptors (rods and cones). Rods support low light vision while cones support bright light and color vision. The fovea contains the highest density of cones for high visual acuity. The visual system can adapt to a wide range of light intensities and discriminates brightness through mechanisms like brightness adaptation and the Weber ratio. Understanding this complex system informs computer vision design.

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47 views6 pages

Human Visual System

The human visual system consists of the eye, optic nerve, and brain. The eye contains the cornea, iris, pupil, lens, and retina with photoreceptors (rods and cones). Rods support low light vision while cones support bright light and color vision. The fovea contains the highest density of cones for high visual acuity. The visual system can adapt to a wide range of light intensities and discriminates brightness through mechanisms like brightness adaptation and the Weber ratio. Understanding this complex system informs computer vision design.

Uploaded by

Nagarajan V A
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Human Visual System

 In many image processing applications, the objective is to help a human


observer perceive the visual information in an image. Therefore, it is important to
understand the human visual system.
 The human visual system consists mainly of the eye (image sensor or camera),
optic nerve (transmission path), and brain (image information processing unit or
computer).
 It is one of the most sophisticated image processing and analysis systems.
 Its understanding would also help in the design of efficient, accurate and effective
computer/machine vision systems.

Cross-section of the Human Eye


Cross-section of the Human Eye
Nearly spherical with a diameter of 20 mm (approx.).
 Cornea --- Outer tough transparent membrane, covers anterior surface.
 Sclera --- Outer tough opaque membrane, covers rest of the optic globe.
 Choroid --- Contains blood vessels, provides nutrition.
 Iris --- Anterior portion of choroid, pigmented, gives color to the eye.
 Pupil --- Central opening of the Iris, controls the amount of light entering the
eye (diameter varies from 2-8 mm).
 Lens --- Made of concentric layers of fibrous cells, contains 60-70% water.
 Retina --- Innermost layer, “screen” on which image is formed by the
lens when properly focussed, contains photoreceptors (cells sensitive to
light).

Retinal Photoreceptors
Two types of photoreceptors: rods and cones (light sensors).
 Cones --- 6-7 million, located in central portion of retina (fovea), responsible
for photopic vision (bright-light vision) and color perception, can resolve fine
details.
 Rods --- 75-150 million, distributed over the entire retina, responsible for
scotopic vision (dim-light vision), not color sensitive, gives general overall
picture (not details).
 Fovea --- Circular indentation in center of retina, about 1.5mm diameter,
dense with cones.
 Photoreceptors around fovea responsible for spatial vision (still images).
 Photoreceptors around the periphery responsible for detecting motion.
 Blind spot --- Point on retina where optic nerve emerges, devoid of
photoreceptors.

Distribution of Rods and Cones on Retina


Simple model for image formation

Object height S

Visual Angle A
Visual Axis Inverted
Projection P
Distance from Object d

Image Distance l

 Distance between center of lens and retina varies from 14- 17mm.
 Farther the object, smaller the refractive power of lens, larger the focal length.
 From the geometry,
Brightness Adaptation
 Human eye can adapt to an enormous range of light intensity levels, almost 10
orders of magnitude!
 Brightness perceived (subjective brightness) is a logarithmic function of light
intensity.
 Eye cannot simultaneously operate over such a range of intensity levels.
 This is accomplished by changing the overall sensitivity ---
Brightness adaptation.

 At a given sensitivity, the eye can simultaneously discriminate only a small number of
intensity levels.
 For a given condition, the sensitivity of the visual system is called the brightness
adaptation level (ex. Ba ).
 At this adaptation, the eye can perceive brightness in the range Bb (below which,
everything is perceived as black) to Ba (above which, the eye adapts to a different
sensitivity).
Brightness Discrimination
 The ability of the eye to discriminate between changes in brightness levels
is called brightness discrimination.
 The increment of intensity Ic that is discriminable over a background
intensity of I is measured.
 Weber ratio --- it is the ratio Ic / I.
 Small value of Weber ratio --- good brightness discrimination, a small percentage
change in intensity is discriminable.
 Large value of Weber ratio --- poor brightness discrimination, a large percentage
change in intensity is required.
 At high intensities the brightness discrimination is good (small Weber
ratio), than at low intensities.

Perceived Brightness is not a Simple Function of Light Intensity

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