Rod+Cells+-+AM

Introduction: Rod cells are like the video game to a game console. You might have Netflix, YouTube, or Twitch to keep you busy, but nothing is more entertaining than playing the real games. The rods in your body are like this because someone can live their life without having the ability to see, but it will never be like if you had eyesight.

Why do we have rod cells? Where are they? Do they work with other cells? Are there diseases that affect how they work? You might be asking some of these questions, and you’ve come to the right place to answer them all.

CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS A ROD CELL?

The rod cells, or just rods are photoreceptor cells that are located in the retina of the eye. A photoreceptor cell is a special type of neuron that’s found in the retina and is capable of something called phototransduction. Phototransduction is a process where light created into electrical signals to work the rod cells. This big loop is here for a reason though, it’s how we are able to see in the dark.

The other major photoreceptor cell is called a cone cell. A cone cell is how we are able to see in color, and t here are major functional differences between the rods and cones. Rods are severely sensitive, and can be triggered by as few as 6 photons. A photon is the conductor for the electromagnetic force.So, at very low light levels, visual sight is based simply on the rod signal. This explains why colors cannot be seen at low light levels; only one type of photoreceptor cell is active at that time.

For cones to work, they need an ungodly amount of light. So next time your flashlight’s not working and you wonder why it’s so darn dark and black; you’ll know. The retina actually holds about 120 million rod cells and only 6 million cone cells; you would assume you would have more cells to help you see colors.

CHAPTER 2: WHERE ARE ROD CELLS Rods and cones are located all over the retina in varying locations. The fovea, or the part of the retina that is activated when you are focused on something, is full of cones, which allow for detail and color vision perception. Everywhere else, there are thousands of rods. These rods are located in the periphery and aren't good for color vision, but are good in low light conditions. 

CHAPTER 3: Rods and Cones Put To Work Have you ever been in a dark room and the lights turned on, only to be hit with a bright, camera like light? If so, then you’ve experienced the effects of rod cells. They need roughly 100 milliseconds to adjust back into an illuminated room. Your pupils are a reason for this extremely short sense of blindness.

 For the rod cells to do it’s job, it works with other parts of the eye to be what it needs to be. In basic terms, the pupil lets in light for the rod cells to work and let you see. In a dark room, your pupil expands to let in as much light as possible, in a bright room, the pupil is very small because the rods don’t need as much light flowing in.

A rod cell is sensitive enough to set off with a single photon of light, and the pigment that causes this is called a rhodopsin. Since rods require significantly less light to function than cones, they are a main source of visuals. That’s also the reason in the dark we only see black. Cones are 100 times less sensitive to a single photon and need many to power. In a lot of ways, Cone cells are like solar power; a great purpose, but you need a lot of sunlight for it to work.

CHAPTER 4: COMPANIONS, RODS AND CONES Rods and Cones work hand and hand in their home, the Retina. The two are different in many ways but are sometimes mistaken as the same thing. For example, rods have one color pigment but on the other hand, Cones have 3 different color pigments. red, blue, and green; cones mix up the colors to create the pallet we have in our eye. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rods are very sensitive, whereas cones are not sensitive at all. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rod cells aren’t a mighty bunch, but Cones have a lot of cells.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">CHAPTER 5: Can Your Sight Turn Against You?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">There can be many things to damage rod cells, such as a disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. This is when your vision is the enemy and there’s no going back. Yes, there is treatment but nothing can completely stop it. RP damages your retina, where the rods and cones are located; you can only guess what happens to them. While it’s not contagious, it sadly gets passed down the family tree. From loss of peripheral vision to the inability to see colors correctly, things can get ugly.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">In a worse case scenario, you can actually become blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">While it can be life ruining, it is not very consistent when it comes around. Some people get it when born, and others can get it much later in life; there is no real time period when Retinitis Pigmentosa can hit. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; vertical-align: baseline;">Conclusion: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">As you can see, rods and cones are very important to your daily life. They give you sight and let you see in color, if you see someone who is color blind, you’ll know what happened. If you also see someone who is blind in general, you’ll know what happened as well, and next time you’re blinded by lights turning on from complete darkness; you’ll have your rod and cone cells to blame.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">References:

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Carlson, Chester F. "Rods & Cones." cis.rit.edu. Rochester Institute of  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Technology, 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. <http://www.cis.rit.edu/people/ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"> faculty/montag/vandplite/pages/chap_9/ch9p1.html>. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">"The Eye." Kids Health. Nemours Foundation, 2014. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/eyes.html>. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Green, Dan, and Simon Basher. Biology: [life as We Know It!]. New York: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kingfisher, 2008. Print. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nave, Carl R. "Rods and Cones." hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu. SciLinks, 2009. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Web. 12 Feb. 2015. <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">rodcone.html>. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Rod Cells." Wikipedia. N.p.: n.p., 2015. Wikipedia. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_cell>.

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