Expert: Florence M Rollwagen - 6/30/2008

Question
QUESTION: When we look at the same colour, do our eye work similarly or different?

Is our colour receptor enable us to visualize the 3 primary colour?

I know the animals colour receptor work differently from us but does our colour receptor in our human optical system work the same?

I know we can identify different colour, and all can see 3 primary colour.

Do our colour receptor work and react differently or similarly to the general?


ANSWER: Hi Rambo:  Thanks for your question.

Retinal color receptors (cone cells) come in three different kinds of sensitivity, long, which receive at 564–580 nm, medium which receive at 534–545 nm, and short, which receive at 420–440 nm.  We perceive colors by the “opponent process of color vision”.  That means that a mixture of cone cells is stimulated by light of various wavelengths.  The brain interprets the actual color based on how many short, medium or long cone cells are stimulated.  

Many animals can see in the same wavelengths as humans.  In addition, they can see other wavelengths of light, such as the ultraviolet.


I hope this answer has helped you.  Please write back if you have more questions.

FM Rollwagen, PhD

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Then since we are all human...which have the same colour receptor which can see the same wavelength of colour, do we perceive the same colour as each other in our brain?

thanks

Answer
Hi again, Rambo:  The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible wavelengths of light and energy.  It ranges from very long waves, such as radio waves, to very short waves, called gamma rays.  Part of this spectrum we can actually see (some birds and insects can see wavelengths that we don't) and this is called the visible spectrum.

The wavelengths are:

red:  620-750 nm
orange: 590-620
yellow: 570-590
green: 495-570 nm
blue: 450-495 nm
violet: 380-450

If you're asking the philosophical question "does everybody see the same color as orange" the answer would probably be yes, since we learn the names of colors as children.

People who can't see certain colors are called "color blind" and see shades of gray where others see colors.

I hope this answer has helped you.  Please write back if you have more questions.

FM Rollwagen, PhD