Rod+Cells+-+CM

= Introduction =

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Just like you depend on your two legs to walk your vision depends on two cells; rods and cones. There are about 120 million rods per eye to be exact. ( BrainPop, “Eyes” ). Rod cells control your vision. They create and send a image to the optic nerve, then the brain ( Function ). Rod cells have 4 to 5 times the normal cell mitochondria because they need lots of energy as they have a huge job in controlling your vision ( Structure ). Although rods help you see sometimes rods and cones can make you see colors in a different way known as color blindness ( Color Blindness ). As you can see rod cells have several unique functions to be able to do their job.

= Functions of a Rod Cell =

There are two types of eye cells. These cells are stationed in the retina. ( The retina is a layer of skin covering the back of the eyeball which holds rods. ) According to the book “ Biology” rods work best in dim light and only see gray light. This is due to the fact that these cells have chemicals known as rhodopsin. ( Anatomy and Physiology 467 ). First, rhodopsin breaks down the light that comes through the eye. Secondly, it sends the electrical impulse to the optic nerve. Lastly, the optic nerve sends it to the brain. This process is called vision which happens every single second of your life. These cells take only milliseconds to do their job. Rods have gotten their name due to their rod shaped cell structure. The cell of a rod looks very similar to a rod therefore, earning their name as a rod cell. Certain structures of the rod cell form it to look like a rod.

= Structures of a Rod Cell =

New discs are made every hour to ensure that the new discs are moving in and working well and the old useless ones are moving out. There are 1 to 3 new discs made every hour.( Anatomy and Physiology 467 ). The cause of rod cells only see black and white color because they wouldn't be as effective if they used color too. The effect of this is that they need more chemicals and even more mitochondria, even though they already have 4 to 5 times the normal mitochondria for a cell to complete their job. Rods overall function though is to put a image together with the cones. The cause here is they send a signal through Rhodopsin that the light is coming into the eye. The effect is this allows cell to react. Next, the light comes through the eye and the rods and cones turn it into a image which is then sent to the brain upside down which then the brain flips the image right side up and this process is what is knows as today as vision. Lastly, most visions are clear with color but some are not.

= Color Blindness =

Some of us take for granted the color rainbow we see with our eyes because for some people their rainbow is not a rainbow at all it is gray stripes. From seeing colors in a different way to only seeing gray light color blindness varies. Most common types come from seeing colors such as red, blue or green unclear or as a different shade. “ Unable to see colors in a normal way.” Says the organization Teen Health and Wellness. Although color blindness is not a normal issue it is somewhat of a serious issue. After all, color blindness is life altering. Next, there are different groups of color blindness. Lastly, this can start happening by just one cell that is affected that can affect your whole vision. Rods can make you so color blind you can only see gray light. That is the worst type of color blindness.

= Conclusion =

Most of us don’t think about what process happens when we see something, but if you did you would see that the rod cell is the most valuable player. Rod cells assist cone cells in making a clear image in our brain if what we are seeing. Cell membranes create the rod cells rod like shape. Also they can cause color blindness. Overall, this is all you'll need to know for starters about the rod cell.

= References =

Works Cited Bossa, Francesco, et al. Structure and Function Relationships in Biochemical Systems. Boston, Springer US, 1982. “Eyes.” Brain Pop, 1999, www.brainpop.com/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017. “Rod Cell.” Wikipedia, www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F2%2F28%2FCone2.svg%2F200px-Cone2.svg.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FRod_cell&docid=OWGNpxAC9AhRzM&tbnid=PgpB5Ggr6yD95M%3A&vet=1&w=200&h=244&safe=active&bih=631&biw=1366&q=rod%20cell&ved=0ahUKEwiM4YCW1_HRAhUI2oMKHSmCDFMQMwhEKAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017. Teen Health and Wellness. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2007, www.teenhealthandwellness.com/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017. Tortora, Gerard J., and Nicholas Peter Anagnostakos. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 6th ed., New York, Harper & Row, 1990.

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